It might sound a bit strange to say that there’s a front-line facility in a country engaged in an extreme annihilation battle where no one survives, but within the front-line wall, there existed a place called the interrogation room.
Of course, it wasn’t a place meant to capture demons or beasts for interrogation. Just like anywhere humans live, crimes happen among soldiers. It’s natural, but division among soldiers in such a front-line area is dangerous. Therefore, rather than establishing a distant garrison at a far location, having a garrison operating right within the wall is more efficient.
And it seems there are occasionally deserters. The wall is literally a wall. It’s not only high but stretches endlessly on both sides, isolating nearly everything except for the coastline from the outside world. Naturally, the number of soldiers guarding that long wall is enormous, so it wouldn’t be strange for an organization managing them to exist strictly within the wall.
…I hadn’t thought about it until I heard, but anyway.
The first question that came back to me after capturing the witch was where to transfer her. Should I move her to a distant church, or should I just temporarily detain her within the wall and think about it?
Naturally, my choice was the latter.
It wasn’t too late. The operation had begun in the morning, and since not much time had passed, I had some leeway to start and still make it to class tomorrow.
However, I couldn’t just detain this witch in any church. Most churches didn’t have facilities for housing heinous criminals. While there were church facilities within the wall, if I were to detain her temporarily within the wall, it would be better to use the garrison’s facilities instead.
“Saintess!?”
As I crawled out of the hole with Jian’s help, Grace, the vice-captain of the Saint Knights, was horrified. She rushed towards me, pale-faced with fear, trying to assist me, but I hesitated in my refusal.
Stepping out under the blazing sun, my appearance was much more exposed than when illuminated by the dark light of the hole. My pure white saintess armor had several holes in it, and the blood flowing from those holes created a vivid red trail.
Though I had quickly healed the wounds with holy power after a few stab wounds, to others, I probably looked like a human on the brink of death from being turned into a beehive by something.
Even the skin peeking through the holes was still stained with blood, making it look even worse. It makes sense that the very existence tasked with protecting me, the Saint Knights, would be horrified at the sight.
Even if I was to remove the plate armor filled with holes, I would just end up with a tattered cloth outfit underneath.
“…Grace, are there any knights nearby who have visited the Elven District with me?”
“Yes, there are.”
Unlike her usual relaxed demeanor, Grace’s voice was tense and shaky, sounding very soldier-like.
“If so, please gather those knights. And it would be great if you could stand them close beside me, so I’m not visible to others.”
“…Understood.”
With a grave expression, Grace replied, shouting out names to the nearest knights. Notably, there was a knight named Johnson. Now that I think of it, isn’t Grace’s last name Johnson? This knight squad could practically play a name game with their first and last names. I wondered if there was anyone named after Johnson in the squad.
The knights that rushed over at Grace’s call were all pale-faced too.
…Hmm, I don’t think they would believe me if I said I was okay. Even Jian and Rina, who knew my abilities, didn’t completely trust me.
“Jian, just in case, please keep an eye on the captured witch. Although she probably can’t use any more magic, I can’t be sure how her physical abilities will hold up.”
Though it might be enough with several knights, I couldn’t let my guard down. Duties aren’t truly over until they’re finished.
“Got it.”
At my words, Jian immediately broke away from the formation. A few knights surrounding us shifted their bodies to create a path, and as Jian passed, they quickly closed ranks again to shield me.
…Ah, but this makes it hard to see in front of me.
Well, I suppose it’ll be fine.
As for the witch, I first reattached her severed ankle. Jian’s sword had cut so cleanly that there were no ragged edges or bruises; it looked almost unreal, like one might see in an anatomical diagram. Strangely, it didn’t seem as gruesome as I thought it would be. It was also easy to reattach with holy power.
That’s right. The holy power worked smoothly.
Because ultimately, apart from her demon bloodline, she was just a human. With her magic power removed, she would likely age gradually like any other human.
What kind of despair would make someone, while being sure gods exist, turn their back on them?
Well, I didn’t particularly feel like asking.
The only reason I captured the Witch of Resentment was to gather information. If it weren’t for that, I would have asked others to help me seize her the moment they came to rescue me.
After the Saint Knights rushed to me and hid me, the growing murmurs gradually stopped.
Was the witch being brought out?
Or perhaps the victims she had abducted?
…I couldn’t see from here. Maybe that was a good thing.
“…There’s still magic left, right?”
“Yes. But Saintess—”
As Grace opened her mouth with a concerned expression, I cut her off.
“First, let’s transport the witch and the victims to the wall. They need to be kept apart and moved to different locations. The victims should be handed over to the military doctors, and the witch should be taken care of by Jian, Andrea, and several elite knights from the Inquisition.”
Having said that, I remembered how the victims had punctured my armor with impossibly sharp spikes.
“Just in case, divide the victims into multiple groups and assign a few knights and government soldiers to each group. However, they are in a seriously traumatized state, so be cautious about that. Borrowing a few armored vehicles from the government soldiers would make this easier.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Grace immediately straightened up and rushed out of the group. The space she left was filled again by the tightly packed Saint Knights, and soon after, Uncle Paul squeezed in to fill the gap.
“Saintess, you really should head to the infirmary…”
“No, there’s no time. The munitions for fire support are likely running low soon.”
I attempted to remove the armored garment, but Uncle Paul helped me loosen the joint near my shoulder.
“Are you truly okay? If anything happens to you, it could deal a significant blow to human society.”
It would be a big blow, indeed. But I wasn’t worried. Honestly, considering my condition now, I felt better than the moment I fell off a cliff during summer break.
“I’m fine. I’m at least in a condition to handle any remaining magic points. If I turn my back here, whether it’s the government or church forces, the damage would be severe. Moreover, the enormous beasts below are worth studying.”
At first, I thought it should be buried immediately, but having seen victims, nearly out of strength, piercing my armor with their frail arms, my perspective changed. The spikes generated from those beasts held considerable weapon value, unlike anything from this world.
Of course, due to their sharpness, if used once, they’d quickly dull and wouldn’t carry that level of power anymore. However, if we absorbed that technique, or if the demon’s forces created demons or beasts sprouting such characteristics, it could turn the tide. While we might not be able to fully research and utilize it, a countermeasure was necessary.
At least, judging by how it wasn’t being used extensively right now, we still had time.
“If there’s anyone with a body type similar to mine, I need to borrow their armor. And anyone who has removed their armor, please fall back.”
As I said this, a knight standing right next to me started to remove her armor. In an instant, she shed her battle attire and wore something resembling a nun’s outfit instead of a skirt.
As I stripped off my battle gear, the male knights who had been helping me all turned away in surprise.
…Hmm, did I strip off too hastily?
My outfit underneath was similar to the female knight’s, but there was a significant difference: the puffy skirt that covered my pants. The clothes I wore had holes all over, revealing my skin here and there. Even if the holes weren’t too scandalous, and the spikes weren’t all that thick, the sight of the saintess’s white skin seemed to hold a special meaning for them.
But I normally walk around in mini-skirt dresses or similar clothing.
…Well, there wasn’t time to nitpick about such details.
Despite my reddening face, I managed to don the armor with the help of the female knights who didn’t turn their heads away.
*
I quickly cleared the remaining magic points and returned to the armored vehicle. I returned the armor I had been wearing to its owner, and the knight waiting in the back looked extremely moved.
“I will go change back into the saintess’s attire the moment we get back.”
As I boarded the armored vehicle, still in the hole-ridden outfit, Paul nodded after awkwardly looking away.
“…Should I lend you mine? I’m still wearing my nun’s outfit underneath.”
“No, it’s fine since I’ll be changing once we return.”
“Is that so?”
Jian set out alongside Andrea and some elite knights from the Inquisition to escort the witch, and naturally, the only one left in the armored vehicle with me was Rina.
…Ah, I felt something was missing, and then I realized I didn’t have my shield and morning star. It seemed I had lost them while falling underground and being chased by high-ranking demons.
While there would still be several high-ranking demons remaining underground, I wasn’t too worried at the moment. At least, they should be manageable by the remaining Saint Knights and inquisitorial knights in the area. Even if a “real” high-ranking demon was among them, we could adequately respond if their numbers were low.
However, we couldn’t afford to delay for long.
It was rare for the military to venture outside the wall of human society. If another witch were to take advantage of that, things might become complicated.
Since witches don’t typically get along, it wouldn’t be common for witches to find themselves in similar locations, but if word got out that a witch’s place was left unguarded, that would change the situation.
“If we’ve gathered enough samples of the beasts, we need to issue an order for withdrawal to the knights.”
“Understood.”
The driver of the armored vehicle nodded at my words. The officer seated next to him also seemed to agree.
The spikes… no, the fangs? Thorns? Regardless, they had already been taken care of by Andrea, so I didn’t need to worry…
Alright, now all that was left was to extract various information from the witch herself.
“Rina.”
“What?”
“Do you have a Bible?”
At my question, Rina gave me a look as if to say, “Serious?”
“…Do you think I would?”
Of course not, right?
The Bible I brought was inside the ripped bag.
Well, fine. The military chaplains would probably have one.
Let’s borrow one.
*
“This is quite something; my ankle is throbbing, and I can’t even think straight.”
What kind of gall is this? The witch had that rebellious attitude even when facing me.
With a bewildered look on my face at her audacity, the thin-faced witch raised one lip in a smirk and said, “Don’t make that sour face. You didn’t take me in just to see me suffer, right? If we can both get what we want, we can make a deal…”
Suddenly, she grimaced in pain, trying to pry off the restraints around her neck, and as she burned herself in the process, she couldn’t scream, writhing in agony for a while until I withdrew my holy power and she could finally voice her discontent.
“What is the meaning of this?! What the hell is this thing on my neck?!”
Despite the temperature being one where her flesh might as well fall off, the neck of the Witch of Lust remained intact.
“It’s a necklace infused with the divine power of both gods. By infusing the divine power of the Demon God Baal, it gets heated, but in its absence, it continually heals the wearer. Well, if it were a demon or beast wearing it, they would suffer from the moment it was put on, though.”
After hearing my explanation, Rina looked at the necklace with an extraordinarily uncomfortable expression. …No, to be precise, she cycled between looking at me and then back at it. I felt a bit hurt.
Though I think it’s a terribly malignant item myself.
“And I could help with that throbbing ankle of yours. If the reattachment was done incorrectly, repeating the process a few times might help. Want me to do it? The surgeon who cleanedly cut off your ankle is sitting right there.”
As I pointed to Jian, seated in the interrogation room corner, she gave me the same expression Rina had when looking at me. …I’ve been hurt again.
In contrast, Andrea, sitting in the opposite corner, didn’t seem to show any sign of expression. In fact, she wore a look that seemed to imply this behavior was how things must be. It was somewhat frightening.
“…I demand that you treat me according to the Geneva Conventions.”
The witch said, dead serious.
The Geneva Conventions, in this world, had been around for over 600 years, so if she’s making that demand, she must be from quite a while ago. It seems she became a witch shortly after the demon invasion began.
Well, that’s not my concern.
“The Geneva Convention is an agreement between nations, and an unratified country has no obligation to adhere to it, nor do ratified countries have an obligation to enforce it for countries that haven’t ratified it.”
It doesn’t matter what the facts are, either. After all, there isn’t a faction fighting while adhering to the Geneva Conventions here. If human society is divided into different countries, it might be a different story, but at least no one is advocating for mutual human rights among either the demon army or the human factions.
“And most importantly, we don’t recognize you as a nation. The most important part of the human society constitution is that humans are the rightful owners of this land. From a human perspective, you are simply a group of terrorists illegally occupying the rest.”
This legal stance can be a point of contention. The legislation, of course, overlooked the elves and beastmen who settled later. Depending on interpretation, they could be included or not.
Regardless, resolving that will be a matter for the distant future, so I decided to set it aside for now.
“In that sense, there’s one way for you to be treated like a human. Would you like to hear it?”
As I continued speaking, the witch’s lips trembled, whether from rage or fear, as she looked back and forth between me and Jian and Andrea behind me, realizing that there was no one here to support her.
“I will listen.”
“Good.”
I retrieved a book from the military bag I had received. It was a Bible I had earlier borrowed from the military chaplain. It seemed the chaplain was so moved by my request that he didn’t hear the need for a return. Well, I decided to get him a new one later.
It’s worth noting that this Bible was blessed directly by Rina Hicks, who would eventually become the leader of a sect of the Demon God.
She had also looked tremendously uneasy while doing so.
…Did she really need to react that much?
With that Bible, glowing ominously with a mix of white and black light, the witch’s face paling was a clear indication she understood what this light signified.
“Swear on this.”
I placed the Bible on the desk between us and slid it toward her.
“Abandon your faith in demons and believe in the gods again, vowing to live a life of penance.”
The witch gulped at my words.
“Ah, don’t be mistaken. The sins you’ve already committed cannot be washed away. If she’s a being with a soul, it’s but natural to receive judgment at the gods’ side after death. So—”
I tapped the Bible with my finger.
“Thus, this is a kind of suspended sentence. The longer you live, the longer your time before you have to face judgment afterward if you were to cross to the gods. Do your best to live as long as possible. If, at the very least, you swear here and try to atone while earning the victims’ forgiveness, maybe the punishment you’ll receive can be mitigated somewhat.”
Considering the Demon God’s personality, it’s hardly likely that there will be no punishment at all.
“Did you think I wouldn’t recognize your cunning? Did you think the witch you captured would be compliant and that I would believe everything you said? I might not be a genius, but I’m definitely no fool. So think carefully before responding.”
Leaning slightly against the desk, I brought my face closer to her.
“Will you go directly to the church tribunal to be burned at the stake and stand before the gods? Or will you choose instead to run as long as you can, proving you’re repenting over your crimes?”
Of course, regardless of how she reacts, she’d still end up living like a death row inmate in a de facto abolitionist state and would remain under surveillance and confinement.
And even if she does repent, the victims’ forgiveness is an entirely different issue. Even if Baal is an emotional god, he would certainly take that into account.
“……”
The witch’s eyes fluctuated violently. She looked at me, then glanced at Jian and Andrea behind me, but none in the room could help her.
“…If I pretend to have regained my faith and falsely confess my repentance…”
“Then it would be for the gods to determine what happens.”
“……”
Ultimately, after considerable deliberation, the Witch of Lust chose to abandon her faith in demons.
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