Ariel Ether’s death was unfortunate, but it had been inevitable.
It was like when you heard the sad story of a child that happened to catch your eye while watching TV. Most people would just feel sad and move on.
Among them, a few might choose to support those children through donations or similar means, and an even smaller number would try to save them directly.
Unfortunately, I had never been one of those few. I was the type who thought it was sad in the moment and then moved on.
I was the kind of person who would forget within seconds after changing the channel.
So, Ariel Ether’s story was the same.
“She’s just a stranger, after all.”
There was no need for me to feel guilty or to care. I couldn’t even take care of myself. Who was I to worry about anyone else?
“What was I supposed to do, anyway?”
So, it had been natural.
Trying to grieve and suffer over every stranger’s hardship and share in their pain was meaningless.
A half-hearted understanding was worse than none at all; such clumsy actions would only amount to cruel false hope.
So, there had been no helping it.
It wasn’t my business, so I told myself not to care.
I was a small person who couldn’t even manage what was right around me.
Ariel was someone else. That was how I decided to categorize her.
“God, this is disgusting.”
If that was the case, then even this frustration wouldn’t last long.
In the end, I would return to how I usually was. Just like always.
“You mean Dog, right? Like this?”
“Ah, damn it, you scared me…”
Just as I was stomping off in irritation, stewing in my frustration, Yuna suddenly appeared in front of me and thrust a dog toward my face.
It was a black poodle.
Where the hell had she found this thing?
And where had she picked up something so weird again… tsk.
Then the poodle spoke.
“Johan Damus, do you desire the power to overturn all of this?”
“What the hell…”
The words were so unbelievable, especially coming from the mouth of a cute little dog.
“Have I finally lost it from stress? Why am I hearing hallucinations?”
“Escaping from reality… a splendid defense mechanism of humans. Kuku.”
“I’m seriously losing it.”
Judging by the situation, this dog seemed to be the demon who had sent me the Book of Lemegeton.
And it looked so ridiculously pathetic.
However, I couldn’t forget that this bastard was a demon capable of materializing his form without a contract.
This one was dangerous. As ridiculous as he looked, I had to start off politely.
“I’m fine. I don’t really have any desire to become stronger.”
“Oh? Then is it something other than power that you seek? Let me make an offer.”
“…No, there’s nothing in particular that I want. More than that, why are you clinging to me?”
It wasn’t like I had some desperate or blind purpose, you know?
I wasn’t that kind of person.
I was just an ordinary guy with very wholesome thoughts.
“Then how about this?”
All these powerful bastards seem to have one thing in common; they just don’t listen.
Didn’t I just say I wasn’t interested?
“I will save that girl.”
“…Huh? Who?”
“I’m saying I’ll cure the illness of the girl you were speaking with just moments ago.”
He must’ve been spying on my conversation with Ariel from somewhere.
“A beautiful and cruel illness, sprouting alongside her talent… My first contractor suffered from the same disease.”
“Oh, is that so? But if you were going to make that kind of offer, shouldn’t you go to the one who’s actually sick, not me?”
Why come to me?
Ariel was the one who was desperate, so go to her and offer the contract.
Why bring it to someone completely unrelated… This was just a nuisance.
“Are you pretending not to know?”
“No, seriously, she’s a stranger to me. Why should I go that far for her?”
“A stranger… Is that your defense mechanism? What a fragile man you are.”
“……”
Talking to him was exhausting.
Leaving aside the whole second-year middle school syndrome tone, the way he acted like he knew everything was seriously annoying.
“Why me, anyway? There are plenty of better people out there. I heard that Kult guy is supposed to be pretty amazing?”
“You are just as exceptional.”
“Me? How exactly am I exceptional?”
“How could a soul that remembers its past life not be special?”
“Ha!”
As expected, a demon was still a demon.
He knew a secret I had never told anyone.
While everyone else had been throwing a fit, claiming I could see the future or something, he as a transcendent had hit the nail on the head in one go.
More than that. This bastard was sitting there, exposing someone else’s secret without permission.
“…….”
I subtly shifted my gaze and looked at Yuna, who was holding the dog in her arms.
She was just staring at me blankly, her face expressionless.
“Wait, hold on.”
As if time itself had stopped, she didn’t even blink.
Now that I thought about it, everything around me felt strangely quiet. I couldn’t even hear the wind. Everything was wrapped in silence.
“What’s wrong? It’s not polite to get distracted during a rare ‘private meeting’, you know.”
Time had stopped.
At this moment, the only ones who could move in the world were me and the demon in front of me.
Which meant it was obvious who had done this.
“……Who are you, exactly?”
This was the work of the demon standing before me.
My tone automatically grew respectful. My head naturally lowered. I was the kind of person who became endlessly meek in front of someone stronger.
A demon powerful enough to stop time? And without even forming a contract, while likely being bound by all sorts of restrictions?
The little puppy in front of me suddenly seemed enormous.
“Well? Does that really matter? Isn’t what we need from each other right now what truly matters?”
“I’ll say it again. I don’t want anything.”
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
I had faced all kinds of transcendent monsters, but I never felt such a sense of crisis before.
Even the time I had dinner with Kult now felt like a fond memory in comparison.
But seriously, why did every one of these bastards keep expecting something from me?
“If that’s truly the case, then there’s nothing I can do… but I wonder—will that stubbornness really last forever?”
A demon could not force a contract. By extension, a demon could not harm someone with whom it hadn’t made a contract.
That much was simply unchangeable.
Of course, it could lie or deceive. But if no deal was made in the first place, there was no opportunity for that either.
Still, if it was a monster capable of stopping even time, maybe harming me wasn’t entirely out of the question.
“You’ll come looking for me someday. I’ll tempt you with sweet dreams, and you might even find yourself wanting to sink into them.”
“…….”
“When that time comes, all you’ll need to do is say one simple word.”
The world was swallowed in darkness.
The black poodle melted into the shadows and reformed into something vast, looking down at me as it spoke.
“Say Stop, O’ moment.”
At that moment, I realized the true identity of the demon that had approached me.
Goddamn it… of all things, I had to end up with a demon like this.
***
“Huh?”
Yuna blinked and looked down at her chest.
“Johan! The demon’s gone.”
“Why the hell… why the hell did you bring that thing to me?”
God, this is pissing me off…
It felt like every bit of my suffering started with this pink-haired lunatic.
“I thought it’d be better for you to know than not know?”
“…….”
“No?”
“I thought so too… but I was wrong.”
A fear born of the unknown.
It was definitely an uncomfortable situation. If I hadn’t known the demon’s identity, I’d still be tormented by uncertainty.
But in this world, there were things that were better left unknown.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“……No.”
Still, she said she meant well, so it felt wrong to blame her. Even if Yuna hadn’t brought that demon to me, things probably would’ve turned out like this eventually.
Maybe it was for the best. Better to get it over with sooner than later.
“So that means I did the right thing, right? Since you owe me, want to be my disciple?”
“Now that I think about it, it really was your fault.”
It was all because of her.
***
All sorts of messy, shitty things had happened to me, but for now, I was holding up.
The imperial princess, Safe Clown, Eden, Under Chain, and even Lemegeton. There were so many factions targeting me, and yet, there hadn’t been any direct threats so far.
The Cradle was safe. As long as I stayed here, there wouldn’t be any danger.
Demons?
Demons would keep trying to tempt me, but as long as I didn’t give in, I’d be fine.
Thankfully, I was living a life where I lacked for nothing and enjoyed everything I needed.
So as long as I kept my head on straight, there wouldn’t be any problems.
Yeah, as long as I stayed inside this Cradle…
“Hello? I’m Kult Hereticus. I was invited to join as a guest teacher. Nice to meet you all.”
What the hell…
“Although I’m only here temporarily and won’t be spending much time with you, I look forward to working together.”
What kind of insane joke was this?
Some monstrous freak had just walked into my cozy little Cradle.
“What I’ll be teaching here at the Cradle is…”
Tap! Tap tap!
Kult scribbled something on the chalkboard.
“How to control your mind. If that sounds a little vague, well…”
Snap!
The sharp sound of chalk breaking rang out as the piece fell to the floor.
Four characters were written on the board.
“Just think of it as simple psychological counseling.”
The grand auditorium, where the entire student body had gathered. Kult gave me a gentle smile.
“I hope that at the very least, you’ll be honest about what you’re holding inside. At least in front of me.”
Seriously, why the hell were you guys doing this to me?
***
I had to do something about Kult.
That was the very first thought that crossed my mind.
This bastard was more cunning, more persistent, and far more dangerous than I had imagined.
He had to be dealt with early.
And the first step toward that was already decided.
“Your Highness, what is going on here? How on earth did you handle things for a rebel like that to end up sitting comfortably in the Cradle?”
“You’ve grown quite arrogant. There’s nothing you won’t say in front of me now.”
“Please understand, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”
“Normally, I would have something to say about that, but you really do look like a wreck. I’ll let it slide this time.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. Now, seriously. Why is that bastard here?”
“Still, watch your mouth, won’t you?”
“May I ask why that gentleman is here, Your Highness?”
“There you go.”
All kinds of chaotic nonsense were unfolding around me. The time to endure it in silence was over.
Even when I stayed still, all kinds of bastards came looking for me. How could I just sit back and do nothing?
“Kult Hereticus turned out to be more cunning than I expected. I thought he’d lie low after getting caught by me, but it was the opposite.”
“Seems that way.”
Actively making moves even while under suspicion?
I never imagined he’d come storming directly into the Cradle, the heart of the empire’s elite training system.
In the game, Kult always acted like a shadowy mastermind from behind the scenes.
Now that his identity was under suspicion, he couldn’t keep using his old methods. Was that it?
My mouth tasted bitter. I was the one who had revealed Kult’s identity, and I was also the reason he had been forced to change tactics.
Damn it. This was exactly why I didn’t want to get involved.
“Psychological counseling. He hit the mark perfectly. There’s nothing the Cradle needs more than that right now.”
“It’s full of lunatics, after all.”
I thought it more than once.
That these people needed counseling before they needed education.
Kult had struck exactly where it hurt.
The reason an outsider like him was allowed into the Cradle must’ve been that.
His own abilities, and the prestigious name of the Marquess of Hereticus. Those two factors lined up. At that point, it would’ve been hard for Olga Hermod to suspect him.
On top of that, Kult was the same age as us.
And Olga Hermod had a tendency to go easy on the kids. That played a part, too.
“So, what will you do now?”
“We’ll do what we always do. Keep watching Kult and try to find a lead. But this is the Cradle. We can’t bring in any outside help. Even if I suggest it, His Majesty would probably shut it down.”
Bringing in external forces to keep Kult Hereticus under surveillance—
That would basically be an act of disrespect toward Archmage Olga Hermod.
It would be the same as saying we didn’t trust her protection.
The Emperor could get away with something like that, but Lobelia who was locked in a battle for the throne couldn’t.
“This natural fortress has become a ridiculous prison.”
I couldn’t even ask Olga Hermod for help with this.
We still had no proof that Kult Hereticus was the leader of Eden.
That would make things look far too strange.
It would seem like the Imperial Family was trying to suppress the Hereticus family.
“Whatever that man is scheming, I don’t know but be careful. We won’t be able to offer much help.”
In the end, I would have to deal with this without Lobelia’s support.
But what could I even do?
Rather than dwelling on such pessimistic thoughts, it would be better to figure out what Kult was really after. There was no time to despair.
If I wanted to live, I had to struggle.
***
Kult Hereticus’s psychological counseling sessions had already begun.
Through a few lectures, he had gained the students’ trust and had started calling them into the counseling room one by one.
Students who finished their sessions walked around with lighter expressions, and seeing them encouraged others to seek out Kult as well. It was a virtuous cycle.
As a result, a general atmosphere had formed where, practically speaking, every student was expected to receive counseling, and Johan wasn’t able to avoid it either.
However… Kult couldn’t make a move on Johan through this session.
That would become circumstantial evidence too difficult to deny. For that reason, this round of counseling was likely just a diversion.
Lobelia came to that conclusion.
But Kult acted.
“I see. An old friend trying to protect a student…”
“It was because of me. If only he hadn’t tried to protect me! If I had been just a little stronger, a little wiser, maybe I could’ve saved him. I didn’t even get to thank him!”
“I understand. I’m not sure how to comfort you…”
As Kult gently patted the sobbing girl’s back, he thought to himself.
A girl who had lost someone she loved.
So desperate, so full of despair. Her wounds were still unhealed, but it looked as though she harbored a kind of blind faith.
Sincerity and illusion. The obsession with the dead that existed somewhere between the two.
“Melana, do you think that student regretted protecting you? No, I believe he felt proud. The fact that you’re still here means he achieved what he set out to do.”
“B-But I…!”
Kult thought to himself. Watching Melana crumble before the weight of his authority, he became certain.
Even as she poured out the contents of her heart, she stubbornly kept one crucial thing buried deep inside.
He caught a glimpse of the murky darkness hidden within her.
Ah, so it was you.
Kult Hereticus was cunning.
He was a man who questioned coincidence.
He wasn’t naive enough to dismiss the Under Chain’s attack during the recent meal in the restaurant as a mere accident.
A small suspicion would soon grow into conviction, and conviction would fuel action.
After all, every action carried meaning.
You were the Under Chain spy who infiltrated the Cradle, Melana.
Kult Hereticus had secured a card he could use in his next scheme.
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