Harpas looked at me as if he was pondering my first question.
I guess he’s trying to figure out what my question meant right now. Of course, it didn’t matter to me what Harpas thought.
This was just a question I threw out there for the heck of it.
“I don’t quite understand the meaning of this question. But, I am indeed a demon.”
It wasn’t a lie, nor was it a refusal to answer, so I passed that one.
“Next is your turn.”
I could only wonder what kind of question he would toss out.
Would it be a sharp question right from the start? Or would he throw a casual inquiry like mine to check the waters?
But wouldn’t a demon start with a powerful blow? I waited with bated breath for Harpas to open his mouth. He had a mischievous grin, as if he had come up with something to ask.
“Are you human?”
“Yup. I’m human.”
I had no idea whether that question had a simple meaning or if it was hiding a complicated significance.
Is it my turn now?
What should I ask? Since I can’t just jump into a blunt question right away, now’s the time to restrain myself and see how things go. I rolled my tongue for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“Was that monster earlier your true form?”
“Correct.”
So, this part is the same as the original work. I asked just in case, but it seems the general framework hasn’t changed from the original. I shut my mouth and waited for Harpas to ask his question.
Harpas seemed to be pondering a question or maybe stalling intentionally, falling into a brief silence before speaking up.
“I’ve never seen a name like Johann before.”
“That’s because I’m not using a name from this place.”
“Oh?”
So, he’s going to slow-cook my background? I had faced Harpas multiple times in the game, so I quietly watched him, choosing my questions.
Harpas looked at me with a mix of intrigue and amusement. Seems like he was enjoying this little Q&A game.
After all, it’s not like Harpas would have ever had this kind of interaction before, so it’s natural for him to be curious. While other things might not matter, the crow in front of me did enjoy using his brain.
Alright then, what should I ask next?
“Next question, Harpas. Were the priests of the Halphas Cult the ones who summoned you to this land?”
“Half right. Half wrong.”
That’s a pretty ambiguous answer. But there’s something to harvest here. In the original work, Harpas was summoned through a 100% pure ritual of the Halphas Cult.
For a demon that can’t physically come to this world, a large scale ritual is essential, so he must’ve gotten some help from the cult, and Harpas’ answer confirmed there was interference from a third party.
But he’s revealing too much too easily. While his responses were leading me to ask more questions, to share this information freely suggests… are they starting to get serious with questioning?
But the next words from Harpas were a series of trivial questions about my background.
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“…That’s surprising.”
What’s surprising about it? And why on earth does my age matter? I looked at Harpas, who was astonished and tossed him my next question.
“You said it’s half right and half wrong. So, there must’ve been another assistant who’s not a priest of the Halphas Cult. Is the assistant a demon?”
“Hmm… No.”
Not a demon… surely it’s not a human. That settles my next question for sure.
“Hmm… Now my turn. How did you find out how to summon me?”
“The ‘Book of Wishes’ told me.”
I pointed at the book still placed on the magic circle with my finger. Harpas turned his gaze to the book and reached out. It was too far for him to grab it while seated, but the book flew into his hands as he extended his hand.
“A magic book, huh.”
Should I start revving up the engine here?
I threw out a question I had been saving.
“It’s my turn. What’s the name of the one pulling the strings?”
“Sorry, but I can’t utter that name. It’s dangerous even for me to say. There’s a risk of ‘erosion’.”
“Does that mean you won’t answer?”
“Why don’t we change the question? We both still have plenty we want to ask.”
He wasn’t wrong. We both had too many questions to end it here. I didn’t want to end it either. I immediately threw out another question.
“…Was the one who summoned you a being existing in this world, including hell and the divine realm?”
“No. Not at all.”
…Not in this world?
Harpas’ backstory seems a bit different. Did something change about the Halphas Cult’s actions due to this mysterious puppet master? Now that I think about it, figuring out the identity of the puppet master might be tough, so I’ll go for an indirect approach.
“My turn. Have you met Malphas?”
Malphas? Who the heck is that? He seems like another demon, but he’s not from the original work.
I quickly shook my head to deny it.
“No. I don’t know him.”
“Ha. I thought there might be a connection since you have abilities similar to Malphas. This is quite amusing. Truly amusing.”
Harpas made a twisted smile, intertwining his fingers in front of his mouth. His pose looked all the more sinister, but it suited him oddly well as a demon.
“Well then, it’s my turn again. What was the reason behind inscribing a curse on the Saint’s heart?”
“I had to ensure the agent of Kalon couldn’t wield his power. That’s the only way he could manifest.”
Manifest… huh. But in the original work, he managed to manifest without harming Karina, so is this for a complete manifestation, or is it the “manifestation” of the one whose name cannot be spoken?
Before I could grasp the underlying meaning of his answer, another question flew at me.
“How did you come up with the idea to summon me?”
“If you’re hiding, it’d be easier for me to find you if I called for you.”
“The more I hear, the more I like it. How about it? Want to work with me? I hear humans love wealth and power, so I can give you as much as you want.”
“I’m not interested.”
“What if the Saint could make you loved forever?”
Karina… could make me loved forever… huh.
I’m not all that thrilled about it.
“No need.”
“You’re quite firm.”
Harpas clicked his tongue in disappointment, clearly annoyed.
“Next question. What do I need to do to unravel the curse inscribed on the Saint’s heart?”
“You can either have me lift the curse, or you can kill me.”
“Simple enough.”
That sounds a bit odd.
“What’s complicated about it? The methods to lift a curse aren’t exactly untraditional.”
“I wasn’t expecting a demon’s curse to be so straightforward.”
“In the end, curses are usually created by those who have borrowed the power of demons, filled with their desires and hatred. Thus, the means for lifting them are always fixed. If your curiosity is satisfied, can I ask my question now?”
“Sure.”
“There seems to be witch’s blood in the medium that summoned me. Where did you find the witch? It’s tough to locate a witch these days.”
“I know someone who’s a witch.”
“How interesting. You have ties deep enough with a witch that she’d give up her blood…”
Harpas looked genuinely intrigued. After all, though it’s formal, I’m recognized as a holy knight, and one of my duties is to deal with witches. But of course, I had no intention of fulfilling that duty.
Why would I kill Elisa?
I went through hell just to keep her alive.
Is it my turn again?
“How did you get strong enough to injure a Phoenix?”
“I’d say it’s thanks to that guy.”
Unlike earlier, his voice was less agreeable. If it wasn’t an act, then it seems Harpas isn’t doing this out of pure joy.
Does this puppet master command even high-ranking demons?
The more I ask, the less clear it becomes.
“Now it’s my turn. What wish did you make in the ‘Book of Wishes’?”
The ‘Book of Wishes’, huh.
Has he figured out the identity of the magic book?
It might be nearing the endgame. I have so many more questions, but now that I know who the puppet master is, I can’t just let my cards fly without limit.
I extended three fingers and closed them one by one as I spoke.
“The first is to know how to summon you by using the ‘Book of Wishes’ as a sacrifice.”
Second.
“The moment you accepted my offer, the compulsion of the last wish will increase in relation to how many questions we’ve asked.”
“Oh?”
The last one.
“When you pose a question about the wish you wrote in the ‘Book of Wishes’, you must provide a definitive answer to the subsequent question. If you’re censored, it’ll be treated as if you couldn’t answer.”
The power of the Book of Wishes alone cannot impose compulsion upon a demon. No matter how strong the Book of Wishes is, it’s still an object created by human hands.
But what if it’s amplified by specific conditions?
“Oh, I see! You’ve caught me in a bind.”
“I see no sign of being caught at all.”
Harpas shrugged as if pretending to be hurt by my answer, but his eyes remained carefree.
“No, truly! I didn’t expect this at all! Normally, when humans come across such an item, they either use it for self-indulgence or hoard it. I never thought they’d use it like this. What would you have done if I hadn’t played this game?”
“There’s no way you’d avoid my offer.”
I stated with certainty.
This was a game that squeezed out exactly what demons cherish most. I had never considered that he would avoid it.
“Indeed! There’s absolutely no way I could miss such an amusing wager! Just this wager alone makes it worth my while to have descended to this land! It delights me greatly!
Unlike those fools who only know how to babble about paradise and such!”
An eerie laughter filled the space, booming in my ears and rattling my thoughts.
It sounded troublesome, like nails on a chalkboard, and at the same time, reminiscent of a crying child.
I maintained my composure, waiting for his laughter to come to a halt.
After what felt like an eternity, as his laughter began to subside, I revealed the blade I had been concealing in my mouth.
“Tell me everything you know about the name ‘Quartz’.”
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