Tillis was an airhead.
Perhaps because of that, her ideals felt unrealistic and strange.
But was it because of the unexpected figure that had just come out of her mouth?
Suddenly, a chilling feeling crept over me.
“Let’s get back to the story.”
“……”
“What exactly is a demon?”
Tillis smiled gently.
A reassuring smile. The kind you would give someone to put them at ease.
It was her favorite method for deceiving people.
“It’s simple. A demon is a sentient weapon created by the Demon King.”
“An ego weapon?”
“Hmm, I don’t know what that means, but it must be something similar.”
The scale of things suddenly felt much larger than I expected.
Not just someone who commands demons, but the very being who created them. You could almost call such a being a god.
“In any case, demons are beings made by the Demon King, and their material is the human soul. To be precise, a demon is made by slicing off a part of a soul.”
But why was she telling me this?
How is this supposed to help me in any way?
The more I hear, the more unsettling it becomes.
“But did you know? The demons created by the Demon King number only seventy-two. So where do you think the other demons, the ones outside of those seventy-two, came from?”
“…They must be someone’s soul.”
“That’s right. The very first demons came from another world, but some demons were born here in this world as well.”
“……”
“They’re what we call spirits.”
“Then… elves…”
Elves were the only ones who knew about spirits. That’s precisely why Tillis was able to pass demons off as spirits.
No, maybe she wasn’t even lying.
If what she said was true, demons were spirits. The difference was only in how they exist. And what determines that difference is…
“…Are you saying that elves have been suppressing demons all this time?”
“That’s right.”
Only then did I realize why she was telling me this story.
As an elf, she would know the way to completely resist the temptations of a demon.
“Why do demons crave the souls of others? Is it simply because they want to belong to this world? And if so, why do they want to belong here?”
“Well…”
“They’re merely trying to fill what they lack. They want to patch the gaps in their own imperfect souls with the souls of others, to make themselves whole.”
“Then if there were another way to fill that emptiness, does that mean they could break free from their obsession?”
“Yes! That’s exactly it.”
“I see…”
I understood.
It was indeed useful information.
Although I now knew the goal, I still had no idea how to reach it.
“In the past, demons were called spirits, and elves were known as the friends of spirits.”
“So unless it means that elves themselves are evil beings, it must mean that elves have a way to fill that emptiness.”
“That’s right!”
“Then… will you tell me that method?”
“You’ll need a leaf from the World Tree.”
“We’re doomed.”
“Perhaps so.”
The World Tree had been burned by the Emperor.
That crazy bastard of an Emperor…why had he burned the World Tree…?
To think he burned such a powerful symbol of the elves simply because it represented them. There were limits to how shortsighted one could be.
No, wait a second…
“What’s wrong?”
I looked at Tillis.
She was, no matter what anyone said, a fool.
Then what about the other elves? Being as reclusive as they were, they would surely have been less knowledgeable than humans.
“No way…”
Elves were the friends of spirits.
And the true nature of spirits… was demons.
Each demon possessed a unique authority, and those powers were filled with ridiculously overwhelming abilities.
“Saintess, may I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“…The power you have to command multiple demons…was it the power of the World Tree you mentioned earlier?”
“Fufu, that’s right.”
The reclusive elves were inevitably behind humans in terms of knowledge.
However, that couldn’t last forever. Nothing could remain the same for all time.
They had interacted with humans little by little, and eventually, even if belatedly, they would have acquired knowledge on par with them.
And if they used that knowledge to wield the power of demons?
Even considering their small numbers, the latent power of the elves would become impossible to ignore.
So then, why had the Emperor destroyed the elven race, who had never been hostile, and even burned the World Tree?
“……”
Emperor Abraham had known.
He had known the true nature of demons and the power of the World Tree.
And… even the true identity of the one the world called the Judge.
Then another question arose.
Why was Emperor Abraham leaving Tillis alone?
“I have an extra leaf. If you help me, Johan, I’m willing to give it to you.”
“You’re not very skilled at negotiations, are you?”
I brushed off Tillis’s offer with an awkward smile for the moment.
Joining hands with someone under Abraham’s watch was a foolish thing to do.
And in reality, there was no reason to accept her terms.
“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
Tillis replied with a smile.
It was the same gentle smile meant to put people at ease as always.
What was this? Even so, her answer had been far too quick. There was no lingering hesitation.
It was as if her sole purpose had been to pass along this story…
Just what was she plotting?
Perhaps it was because of the unsettling tale, but a strange unease lingered in me.
***
In any case, I reported everything I had discussed with Tillis to the Oracle. She simply nodded with an expressionless face.
“That’s unexpected information. I’m not sure if it’ll be useful, though…”
“You never know. While investigating the elves, we might find a way to counter the demons.”
“Spirits… spirits, huh. I’ve only ever heard about them in fairy tales.”
“Same here.”
“Anyway, this time you were helpful. We should probably also look into this thing you call the Demon King.”
“Probably.”
“Since you went in there anyway, you could’ve at least come back with the Demon King’s name.”
“Well… since the topic was demons, it felt awkward to start prying about something like that myself.”
“Well, you are a coward, so I can understand that attitude.”
“If you understand, then stop using me.”
“Sure. Though now that I think about it, you seem to get tangled up in things and bring back information all on your own. No need to bother threatening you anymore.”
“……”
“Are you sulking?”
“Yeah.”
“Good for you.”
The Oracle beamed at me with a smile as bright as the sun. No….honestly, it was a smile unlike anything I had ever seen from her before.
“Get lost.”
“Sure. Then I’ll look forward to you bringing me more high-quality information next time.”
With that, the Oracle gave me a long, mocking look and turned away.
Truly, what a wonderful person.
By being consistently unpleasant, she’s made it so I no longer even think of Alice’s shadow when I see her.
In the past, I disliked her because she reminded me of Alice. Now, I just dislike her.
I just dislike people.
***
There had been a few unusual incidents, but otherwise, it was a day like any other.
I was dragging my tired body back to my dorm room when it happened.
“Hello, Johan.”
“…Do you guys share copies of my room key or something?”
When I arrived, there was an unexpected guest waiting for me.
Emily.
Come to think of it, she’d been in the Cradle for quite some time now, but we’d rarely had the chance to talk.
That wasn’t my fault. It was simply because Emily had been absent so often.
Unlike Raven, Emily hadn’t earned her admission through opportunity. Rather, she had been forcibly enrolled despite already coming from a well-off background.
She was the disciple of Coran Lekias from the Imperial Research Division, so she spent most of her time focused on matters related to that work.
I’d only ever seen her around the academy in passing.
In truth, she was little more than a headcount filler.
“So, what brings you here?”
Well, putting that bit of information aside for now—
One thing was certain. She had broken into my room without permission.
Not that it really surprised me.
I already knew she’d been stalking me for a while.
If anything, it was unusual enough that she’d actually come to see me directly like this.
“I came here because of this today.”
Emily trotted right up to me and held out both hands. Resting on her palms was a piece of dark, metallic material.
“What is that?”
“Mm, just a second.”
Emily tapped the metal with her finger, and a faint light began to seep from its surface.
– Hmm, it’s been a while.
“…Scriptwriter? What on earth do you want with me? I was under the impression Ex Machina was all about noninterference.”
– That’s right.
“Then why—”
– I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m here because you still owe me from last time.
“Owe you?”
– Didn’t you say before that you’d explain the reason you know the future? I even spent nanomachines to make you that bomb so I could hear it. Surely you haven’t forgotten?
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, that did happen, didn’t it?
I had completely forgotten.
After rescuing Helena, I’d passed out immediately and hadn’t had the mental space to think about it.
– That’s why I came prepared like this. Emily, take it out.
“Yes.”
At the Scriptwriter’s words, Emily took something out of the bag slung over her back.
When she unwrapped the paper packaging, it turned out to be popcorn.
– Alright, let’s talk… hmm. No, now doesn’t seem like the right time.
“What? Well, I am tired, so if that’s what you’re saying, I won’t complain, but…”
Why is that?
Could it be he knows I’m tired and is trying to be considerate?
No, that can’t be.
If there was one thing the Scriptwriter lacked, it was consideration for others.
“Why is that?”
The Scriptwriter was a busy man.
The very fact that he had only now come to hear about our last promise says it all.
The request I made to him last time had also been delayed because he couldn’t easily step away from his experiments. Unless it was something truly exceptional, there’s no way he’d go out of his way like this.
Well… even now, he was only sending a machine to talk to me. But even considering that, the Scriptwriter wasn’t one to move around much.
– Hmm…
“……?”
– Well, I guess this much is fine. You’re being watched.
I glanced sideways at Emily. The culprit was sitting right here.
– Not Emily. This one… hmm, I’m not quite sure what it is. I’m sensing a strange energy waves… What on earth is it?
“Are you saying it’s some kind of ghost or something?”
– Ghost? That’s possible. A certain energy wave is circulating right around you, centered on a specific location. And yet you have no idea it’s there. Doesn’t that sound a lot like a ghost?
“I see. Well, thanks to that, I won’t be sleeping tonight.”
A sudden ghost story sent a chill down my spine.
– If you’re scared, why not sleep with Emily, kid?
“I was planning to anyway.” (Emily)
Emily tilted her head expressionlessly. But the words that came out of her mouth were somehow even more chilling than the ghost story.
“Why would you plan that? Who said you could? No way.”
“I already told my parents I’d be staying at a friend’s house tonight.”
“Why would you say that in advance?”
“Because I thought I’d be late. I told them I’d sleep over so it would be safer.”
“It’s not late yet. Go back now. They must be worried at home.”
“Yes.”
Emily gave a small nod, then slipped right out through the window.
Well, she may be a bit lacking in common sense, but at least she listens well.
She’s only like this because she doesn’t know any better.
Anyway, I’d successfully managed to chase off the innocent little stalker.
Now then, time to get to the main point.
“Is there any way to get rid of it?”
– Completely removing it would be difficult, but driving it away should be possible.
“Could I ask you to do that?”
– Not right now. As you can see, this isn’t a nanomachine, so I can’t exactly make a separate device for it.
“Then… is there a way to keep it from eavesdropping on what we say?”
– I’ve already taken care of that. The sound waves from this device are tuned so only you and Emily can hear them.
“You’re very thorough.”
I’d thought he had just appeared out of nowhere, but this was exactly what you’d expect from the leader of the most secretive terrorist organization.
No wonder you never even saw his face by the end of the game.
“Then… can you make it so it can’t hear me at all?”
– Isn’t that something you should be doing yourself? You seem to think I can do everything.
“Hmm…”
Come to think of it, maybe I was expecting too much from a simple device.
Like the Scriptwriter had said, his devices weren’t omnipotent.
Still, there was a way to handle this.
“Then let’s speak in code.”
I immediately opened my notebook and converted what I wanted to say into Morse code.
Even though they were short sentences, the translated characters turned out quite long.
“Do you know Morse code?”
– My decoding device can translate most codes instantly. Still, the more data there is, the better, so I’d recommend writing it out in full.
“Excellent. That’s reassuring.”
I immediately made a clicking sound with my fingers and posed a question to the Scriptwriter.
– Hmm… This doesn’t seem like such a complicated code. Let’s see.
A moment later, the Scriptwriter let out a hearty laugh, apparently having decoded the message I’d sent.
– The possibility that what’s watching you is a demon? That’s certainly plausible. In fact, I’d say it’s the most likely.
“……”
At that possibility, I realized something.
What Tillis told me today wasn’t meant to persuade me.
It was simply something she wanted to convey.
If that’s the case, what could Tillis have gained from it?
Only then did I recall a certain trait demons possess.
“Oh… I see.”
It was Tillis’s eyes.
And what those eyes had observed was…
“Hmm. Well, it looks like this isn’t my fault.”
***
Meanwhile, the Oracle found herself face-to-face with an unexpected visitor.
“Hello, Miss Oracle. It’s an honor to finally meet you like this.”
“What the he—”
It was the moment Judge Tillis had caught sight of the Oracle’s presence.
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