Demon – Part 02
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Translator: Kell
The dragon couldn’t fly long with three grown men riding it. So I was tied up as a horse thief, riding the dragon with Gouda, while the priest rode the horse back into town.
Gouda also gave me an earful on the way, and I couldn’t say anything back. I was an asshole who betrayed the trust of my comrades, and a thief who stole a valuable horse.
In addition, the priest’s meddling seemed to have delayed their departure by a day for me, much to the chagrin of the townspeople.
As soon as the dragon landed on the square, Gouda pulled me away, still tied up.
“Mercenary!” Gemma quickly appeared. “You’re safe!” When she saw me in ropes, she was shocked, and lashed out at Gouda. “Why did you tie him up?! You’re treating him like a criminal!”
“We’re arresting him as a criminal,” Gouda replied. “You didn’t talk to the Director?”
“I wanted to, but I had my plate full. I can’t be around the Director all the time. What did you arrest him for anyway?”
“Stealing a horse.”
Gemma choked.
I chuckled. “It’s okay, Captain. I’m the one who asked for it.”
“What?” Gemma’s stern look turned to confusion. “Do you like being tied up?”
“Hell no!”
“Then why?”
I looked up at the sky. “First there’s the priest and now you. Why does everyone want a reason for everything? Let me ask you. If I said I liked being tied up, what would you say?”
“To each their own. But I would have advised you to stay out of sight so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“All right. I get it. You’re open-minded and earnest.” I heaved a sigh.
“This idiot really wants to get to Zero,” Gouda cut in.
“He does now, does he? But why tie him up?”
“He really doesn’t want to go back to Wenias. Says he doesn’t care if he dies. The priest finally gave in. But if we let him go, it will affect morale. So we decided to bring him back for now and formally banish him.”
Gemma’s mouth dropped open. Her glance darted between me and Gouda. She wanted to vent her anger and frustration, but she couldn’t decide on whom.
“It’s my fault,” I said.
Gemma looked more and more baffled. “I would never banish you, no matter how much you wanted it.” She pursed her lips.
“I bet.” I nodded.
“The priest and I should be on the same page. Banishing you because the people want to is no different than a witch-hunt!”
“It’s not like you’re banishing an innocent person. I stole a horse. There’s a valid reason to banish me.”
“But we’re supposed to take all criminals with us!”
“Do any of them want to be banished? They’re behaving so you would take them. Let me tell you something, Captain. If you take me with you, I’ll just cause more trouble again. I don’t care how tightly you tie me up, I’ll get away even if I have to cut my limbs off. I can promise you that.”
“Are you serious?”
Gouda gave an exasperated sigh. “See? You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. Our only option is to use them to our full advantage. By setting a precedent in this case. Anyone who creates disorder will be banished without mercy. But he has a way out of this. If he manages to return on his own, he will be pardoned. You’re a knight, so you should know what that means.”
“A trial by ordeal?! That’s ridiculous! The Church outlawed that a hundred years ago!”
“Trial by ordeal?” I was confused at the unfamiliar word.
“It’s an absurd trial method, where the guilt or innocence of the accused is left to the will of God. It’s like determining one’s innocence by flipping a silver coin.”
“You mean like trial by combat? I believe that was banned a while ago too.”
“At least in trial by combat, both sides have an equal chance of winning. It’s also not unheard of to call for backup. But a trial by ordeal is like submerging a person in a bucket filled with holy water for an hour, and if they survive, they’re acquitted. Anyway, this is stupid. You’re innocent if you survive?”
“You don’t think I’ll return?”
“Of course not!” Her answer was quick.
Okay. I see how it is.
“Well, I beg to differ.”
“What?!”
“How about a bet? If I return, you owe me a glass of beer.”
“Idiot! If you return, dinner out is on me for life!”
I smiled. “Well, then. I look forward to that.”
Gemma pursed her lips, trying to hold back tears.
“What happens if Mercenary loses the bet?” Gouda asked, not reading the atmosphere. “What does Gemma get?”
The Captain raised her fist.
The priest returned to us a little after noon, after we had convinced Gemma of our plan.
“By the looks of it, you were able to convince that strait-laced knight,” the priest said, brushing the snow off his clothes.
I was being held in a stone-built prison outside of town. Since it was located outside of the barrier, no townspeople could come close, making it the perfect place for secret meetings. The priest went straight here after returning the horse.
“She’s probably talking to the old man right now about how to let my banishment be known to the public.”
After some chit-chat, Gouda cut to the chase. “How do you propose we send Mercenary to the Altar? The area around Generos Island is crawling with demons, isn’t it?”
“That’s what the Director says,” the priest replied.
“I don’t think we’ll get there in one piece even with Heath. It’s more likely that we’ll fail. Do you have a plan?”
“My three least favorite words are ‘no plan’ and ‘stupid’. I wouldn’t suggest banishing Mercenary to the Altar without some kind of a plan. He will explain the rest.”
Barcel entered the dimly-lit prison. The torchlight flickered.
“Why him?” I frowned.
“No, not me.” Barcel waved his hands in front of his face and pulled a chair on wheels into the prison.
I wanted to ask, “What’s with the strange chair?” but the sight of the person sitting there dissuaded me. It was none other than the demon-possessed Director, also known as the Thousand-Eyed Sentinel.
“Cool chair, huh?” Barcel said. “It’s called a wheelchair. A church official with a bad leg had it made specially for him. We found it in storage while preparing for the trip. It was gathering dust in there. I thought it would be too much trouble to carry the Director on my back every time he had to move, so I took it with the Bishop’s permission.”
This guy. I didn’t bother asking, but he explained it to me anyway.
Then again, putting wheels on a chair so you could move around even when sitting was a simple yet revolutionary idea.
After waiting for Barcel to finish talking, the Director wheeled himself to the middle of the prison.
“So, what does the Director have to say?” Gouda said.
“J-Just borrow the p-power of a demon,” he replied.
“What?” Gouda and I said at the same time.
I shot the priest an inquisitive look, but he kept his face composed.
Okay. So he’s not talking out of his ass. I decided to hear the Director out.
“Y-You are aware, yes? Th-There are two kinds of d-demons gathering at the Altar: those that w-want to kill the witch, a-and those that want to p-protect her.”
“Right,” Barcel said. “Some demons want to return to Hell so they want to kill the witch, while others want to stay so they want to protect her.”
“So what you’re saying is, we ask for help from those that want to kill her,” I said.
“Kekeke… Yes. Exactly. Very smart.”
“Are you crazy?” Gouda looked at the priest, wearing his deepest frown.
“Not that crazy. I know this plan is far from sane, at least. Put it shortly, we make a contract with the demons already summoned by the Murky Darkness Witch. Contracts between demons is the specialty of witches, but the most difficult part is the “summoning” process. Thankfully, we don’t have to do that. The Director said that it’s possible to negotiate and make a contract without any knowledge of witchcraft.”
“Yes, yes. Indeed,” the Director said. “Th-That is what I have done. M-My contract was passed down for g-generations to my uneducated masters.”
He made a good point. The Mage Madia, the librarian at the Forbidden Library, did not have any knowledge of Sorcery or warding, despite being under contract with the Director.
“So how do we make a contract?” I asked. “Actually, how do we even recognize friendly demons from hostile ones?”
“I-I can do it.”
“I see. Yeah, sounds like you’re perfect for the job. Why are you even helping me?”
The corner of the Director’s mouth lifted, and he let out an eerie chuckle. “H-Help you? N-No. Wrong. I-I am helping someone f-far greater and p-powerful. Y-You are nothing b-but a pawn.”
“A pawn to whom?”
“Y-You will find out soon. O-Or now, even. Y-You already know him, d-don’t you, Zero’s mercenary?”
I felt a creaking sensation in my head. An uncomfortable feeling, like trying to remember a forgotten dream. When I remained silent, the Director continued to laugh. Then suddenly his laughter stopped.
“I-It’s coming. Th-The demons, sensing the need for th-their power, are rising from th-the depths of d-darkness.”
“What?” everyone said at the same time.
“Huh? Wh-What’s coming exactly?” Barcel said. “I need some mental preparation!”
“Quiet! I hear footsteps.”
The first to react was the priest. I, now a human, could not hear anything at all, but Dea Ignis possessed extraordinary senses.
Gouda darted toward the little window to check the situation outside. “Hey, guys. It’s noon now, right?” he muttered in shock.
The priest frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s pitch-black. I can’t see anything.”
“No way.” Barcel swallowed as he peered out the window too. “Where’d this darkness come from?! The sun was up when I entered!”
“Calm down!” the priest rebuked. “You should have seen demon-induced illusions many times during your trip from Wenias. There is no need to panic. Director, how many are there?”
“Countless,” he replied in a sing-song tone. He seemed to be enjoying the situation, like he was anticipating it to happen.
“A-A multitude of demons are coming. L-Like insects, they are g-gathering to the light. Around the hint of desire. Go out, now. Go!”
I stared at the door to my cell. I would be lying if I said that the thought of the darkness laying outside didn’t scare me. But still, my feet naturally moved forward.
“W-Wait a minute!” Barcel exclaimed. “Y-You’re not seriously thinking of stepping outside, are you?”
“I have to, or we won’t get anywhere.”
“Well, I don’t want to get anywhere!”
Ignoring Barcel’s attempts to stop me, I put my hand on the iron door. Gouda and the priest did not stop me; they simply gripped their weapons tight. I wondered how useful they would be against a horde of demons.
I pushed open the iron door.
Darkness was spreading outside.
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