“…So, were you able to find it?”
“Ultimately, yes. I found it.”
In response to my question, Seo-A nodded. However, there was little satisfaction or relief on her face.
“Then, how about I throw a question at you? Where do you think I found that information?”
“…”
We exchanged glances for a moment before turning our eyes back to Seo-A.
“…Somewhere in the government?”
Well, there was only one answer. A death disguised as an accident, an event wrapped up too hastily. It would be difficult without someone in the government covering it up.
“Right.”
Seo-A nodded, seeming to get the gist of our thoughts.
“Who else could be behind it other than the government? Demons haven’t shown up directly in front of humans since hundreds of years ago. Beasts are literally beasts, making it difficult to infiltrate human society. Demons could hide, which means they could harm someone. But only the government could ignore and brush aside evidence.”
“…Are you saying there are people in the government working with demons to kill heroes?”
“…No, the opposite.”
Leaning back in her chair, Seo-A picked up a beer can to drink, only to realize it was empty. With a small sigh, she set it back on the table without opening another one.
“The government did investigate the incident. They managed to find the culprit. However, they were just keeping the culprit — the demon — alive and hidden.”
“Uh…”
I racked my brain, trying to understand why the government would do something like that.
“Why…?”
When I finally gave up and asked, Seo-A propped her elbows on the table, rested her chin on her hands, and smiled slightly at me.
“What would you have done? Of course, you might have executed the demon right then and there. But you also have had plenty of cases where you didn’t, right?”
With that, she turned her gaze toward Rina.
“No, that’s different.”
I cut in firmly.
“Rina hadn’t harmed anyone yet.”
“And you might have concluded that she wouldn’t harm anyone in the future either. Can I ask what your reasoning was when you made that judgment?”
“Uh…”
I had nothing to say to that question. I only knew that Rina Hicks would eventually sacrifice herself to save the protagonist and her party.
Seeing me unable to respond, Seo-A smiled bitterly.
“Yeah, maybe you saw it through the goddess’s eyes. The world a normal person sees is different from the world you see.”
No, it’s not that different.
I just knew the spoilers from the early chapters! Even those spoilers had all been used up, rendering them practically useless now. I basically only knew that the combined demon race would be ridiculously strong. Even then, I couldn’t accurately guess ‘how strong.’ I had no idea how far my settings would apply — whether they would carry into the future or be limited to the context I wrote at the time, completely separate from the ‘additional’ reality that emerged afterward.
But I couldn’t bring any of that up here.
“And while we can talk about Rina, the captured witches and demons are still alive. I suppose you wouldn’t just let them slip away, considering your personality, but you’ve kept them alive for their usefulness, haven’t you?”
After I missed my chance to speak, Seo-A continued.
“The government had similar thoughts. They decided to keep the ‘surrendered’ demon alive for now. The process was shameless and unkind, which is very typical of the government.”
“…Surrendered, you say?”
“The demon was caught within a few hours. However, it expressed its willingness to surrender on the spot, and the heroes present at the time accepted its request, handing the demon over to the government.”
“No, no, wait a minute.”
I rubbed my temples with both hands.
“You mean the government believed the demon’s surrender? The hero who was present at that time believed it?”
If a demon hadn’t yet caused any harm to society, perhaps it could be trusted if it surrendered. But wasn’t this the same demon that had killed two heroes just before? There was no way anyone could easily believe that surrender.
After all, its neck had been severed multiple times to make sure it was dead.
“You seem to have quite a few doubts.”
“Well, of course…”
Seeing me trail off, Seo-A nodded.
“Yeah, that reaction is natural.”
Rina couldn’t look directly at Seo-A, and Linea wore a serious expression. Aurora’s face had turned a shade pale. Their reactions were understandable.
“Let’s list a few pieces of evidence the government presented at that time.”
Seo-A raised a finger.
“Firstly, the demon did not ‘directly’ kill Erika’s parents. Ah, of course, objectively speaking, that’s not an incorrect statement. The ‘murder weapon’ was just particularly creative.”
“…What was the murder weapon?”
“A beast.”
“…A beast?”
I looked bewildered as I asked, and Seo-A nodded.
“Right, a ‘typically harmless’ palm-sized beast. It was small enough to be carried in a bag.”
I recalled the fish-like beasts I had seen at the beach. If a ‘beast’ that could fit into a bag was not fish but rather a land-based creature, and if it could be smuggled in, that would certainly be enough to conduct a terror attack.
Seo-A was right; under normal circumstances, a hero would undoubtedly have no reason to fall victim.
“But if such a thing started jumping around inside a car, the story changes.”
“…”
“So, yes, the direct cause of death for those two was a car crash. It’s not entirely incorrect to say that the cause of death was an accident. But it’s clear that that small beast was what caused the accident.”
“But still… it’s the demon that’s obviously the culprit. Anyone could see that.”
“It claimed it never expected things to turn out that way.”
I gasped at her words.
“They believed that?”
“It said it had no idea how things would turn out, nor did it realize what it was moving. It insisted it just wanted to live here. With this incident, it was planning to stop for good and expressed true regret to the victims and their families.”
“No, how could…”
What kind of demon thinks it can be like a noir movie protagonist and choose to wash its hands of its deeds? No, more than that, how could that choice even exist? To a human eye, it was just a demon.
Furthermore, even if it said sorry to the victims and their families, it meant nothing unless that message genuinely reached them. Only the individuals involved could truly forgive. No matter how powerful the state could be, it should never take that forgiveness on someone’s behalf.
“The state believed it had strong evidence to back that claim.”
“What kind of evidence—”
“There was a child.”
Seo-A said it matter-of-factly.
“There was a child. One who appeared to be around Erika’s age.”
“…”
In that moment, I felt something click in my head. I almost turned to the side, but I managed to resist. I focused all my effort on maintaining my gaze at Seo-A without looking away.
“And there was someone who claimed to be the demon’s husband. Apparently, it was not entirely false. The DNA test confirmed his paternity, and their relationship appeared to be quite normal. It seems the child lived in hiding for a few years after being born. Although the demon wasn’t legally registered as ‘the husband,’ the answer would be ‘no’ if you asked.”
“…”
For a moment, everyone in the room fell silent.
“So, what did you do?”
“I told you before. I decided to find and kill it.”
Seo-A exhaled as if sharing something heavy.
“However, finding a protected witness is inherently difficult. They were guarded by tight security. Still, since I had a bit of a reputation as a hero for a few years, it wouldn’t be impossible, but I had to take care to still have the strength to wield my sword when facing the demon, right? I obviously needed collaborators.”
Seo-A lowered her gaze and stared at the beer glass.
“I figured people who intensely hated demons, wanted to punish those who colluded with demons, but didn’t particularly like the government and had some degree of strength would gladly cooperate.”
“…Did you contact the Inquisition?”
“Yep.”
Seo-A raised her gaze. Her expression was devoid of emotion, an unusual sight for her.
“Disregarding all orders from above, I reported it to the church. I said those people were hiding the demon.”
Seo-A let out a long sigh.
“The church acted immediately. They were extremely furious, claiming the government’s actions constituted ‘overreach.’ At that time, they managed to mobilize even the Inquisition, which had already shrunk to almost nothing, out of their anger.”
*
“Seo-A…?”
Anais stared at Seo-A in disbelief, her eyes wide open.
The girl with short hair, who could easily pass for still being in school, looked at Anais with wide-eyed gaze.
“Senpai.”
Behind her stood dozens of heavily armed knights. Looking to be over twenty, they stood in platinum plate armor, brandishing holy swords, as if declaring the heroes here to be heretics.
“Senpai, step aside.”
“Seo-A… What is…”
As Anais murmured, a knight approached, his footsteps echoing. The blond knight with a well-groomed bob cut drew attention with her presence. She held a thick parchment scroll and unfurled it with clarity.
“The Inquisition announces. We have detected circumstances indicating a demon is hiding in this building. From this moment, this building is occupied by the Inquisition. Should you refuse to cooperate, you will be deemed as defenders of the demon. Those who have aided the demon will face immediate judgment if necessary. We request your active cooperation in judging the demon here in the name of the gods. This message is from Pope Lucas III. May the gods guide you to make the right choice.”
After delivering the message, the knight handed the parchment to another knight standing beside her. The knight carefully tucked the scroll into a saddle on the horse next to her.
“I am Andrea Bernard, the acting head of the Inquisition. I stand here on behalf of the severely ill head. As has been stated, this building falls under the church’s jurisdiction from this moment, as per the agreements made during the Great Compromise between the church and the government. All those occupying this building are to withdraw immediately.”
Her unwavering voice was firm enough to shake Anais’s thoughts.
…None of the heroes present here could confidently say, “I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Anais’s eyes darted between Seo-A and Andrea, her resolve tightening.
“I… I can’t step aside.”
Seo-A merely glared at her in silence.
Anais had her own faith. While she believed in the gods, she trusted the system and the rules as well. There had to be some rational justification for the current happenings, and the government’s actions were prompted by larger power and benefits.
“Very well.”
The knight murmured before slightly turning her head and instructing the other knights behind her.
“Then, knights, advance. However, refrain from slaying the humans except for the demon. Handle it by immobilization.”
There were only about seven heroes inside the building. No matter how strong each individual was, it would be hard to take on multiple well-trained knights from the Inquisition, which were selected from the best of the church’s forces. Especially in the confines of the building. Using their powers recklessly could collapse the building.
And most importantly, the presence of Seo-A in front of them loomed large.
She had been practically a genius, able to become a hero at a young age due to being recommended for early graduation. Her power was not something to be ignored.
…Perhaps she wouldn’t even be at a disadvantage fighting one-on-one against Anais.
Anais gritted her teeth, gripping the hilt of her sword at her waist.
Noticing that, Seo-A plunged forward, kicking off the ground.
*
“…”
Seo-A brushed her hair back as she entered the building. Inside was already a mess. It was a two-story house where more than ten people were engaged in a chaotic brawl, truly a scene that could only be described as pandemonium.
However, the fight was one-sided.
Despite heroes being much stronger than ordinary people, the Inquisition members were chosen from the church’s troops. And the armor they wore wasn’t merely decorative. With fewer in number, they had invested heavily in their gear. The knights clad in holy power-infused plate armor fought while healing minor wounds in real-time, making them formidable opponents.
Household objects flew around the room made to look like a home, TVs smashed, albums scattered. Family photos were trampled underfoot.
“…”
Gazing for a moment at a picture of three people that looked peaceful, Seo-A moved toward the stairs.
From the second floor, she could hear the sound of sobbing. Ironically, the man’s sobs were louder than the two.
The door was utterly destroyed. The doorknob dangled on the door that looked ready to collapse from repeated blows.
As she pushed the door with her hand, which was about to fall apart, the second floor came into view.
There were an adult man and woman there.
The man looked ordinary. With dark hair and slightly pale skin, he looked like any other common man.
He was kneeling and crying. Blood flowed from one of his arms, which was bent at an unnatural angle.
Standing before the man was a woman, holding a sword and facing off against the knights.
“…”
The knights didn’t ask her to drop her weapon. The church wouldn’t overlook a demon.
Seo-A squeezed between the tense standoff.
“…”
Seeing Seo-A approaching without any sign of concern, the demon took a step back, still gripping its sword.
“One thing, I need to confirm.”
Seo-A stated calmly and pulled out a picture from her pocket.
It was a photo of Erika’s parents from several years ago, standing side by side. Little Erika was in the middle. The picture looked incredibly joyful, just like the one intact in the first floor frame.
“Do you remember these faces?”
“…”
The demon looked at the photo and Seo-A’s face, fear shining in its eyes, and tentatively nodded.
“You killed them, didn’t you?”
“…I, I—”
“You killed them.”
Seo-A muttered.
“You killed them.”
“…”
Unlike in a courtroom, in this place, it was clear that no one would listen if the demon tried to argue its case, so it merely bit its lip.
“…”
“…”
For a time, neither spoke, only the sound of the man’s sobbing resounded.
“I… I can die.”
The demon finally managed to speak.
“Just spare the others.”
“…”
Seo-A didn’t reply.
In fact, at the point where the authority transferred to the Inquisition, she had no say in what to do with the two remaining people.
But if not answering meant the demon would suffer and be more afraid, that would be enough for her.
“Please, please… I beg you. There’s a child. Just spare the child…”
The tip of the demon’s sword trembled slightly. It seemed to lose strength as the blade slowly descended to the ground.
“My child—”
“Mom?”
In that instant, everyone’s eyes turned toward one spot. From the cracked doorway behind the demon and the man, a child peeked out.
The child had dark red hair, a mix of the demon standing in front of Seo-A and the sobbing father behind.
All the ‘people’ in the room were gathered in just that one moment.
The gazes of the ‘people.’
And that one moment was long enough for something to flash.
“…!”
Seo-A instinctively pulled back, but she couldn’t completely avoid the blade. The tip of the black blade grazed her face with enough depth to leave a scar. Blood trickled from the horizontal wound.
Immediately afterward, someone wielding a brilliantly shining sword lunged at the demon.
“Don’t!”
A voice cried out in anguish.
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