I must not actively interfere with the scenario.
That’s the thought I hold.
Because in the Empire of Kohonbach, most problems resolve themselves even if left alone.
There’s an underlying story. The playable characters differ from scene to scene.
They each move according to their own circumstances, but fundamentally, they all oppose the demon worshippers. That’s how they eventually reach the ending.
There was no reason for me to do anything.
Since arriving in this world, the only reason I acted was for “survival”. As long as I could stay alive, I didn’t see any need to get involved.
So once the story connected to me came to an end, the only thing left for me to do was the same as in the modern world.
Get a stable job, earn money, and live a peaceful life. If Camilla were with me, that would be even better. That was the extent of my goals.
“Madman Adel.”
I didn’t think anything major would change just because I, the mere first boss, exited differently than in the original story. Demon seeds may be rare now, but in the later stages of the game, they were used indiscriminately.
No matter what I did, nothing would happen. The world would keep turning anyway.
That’s what I thought.
“Contact with Sally White has been lost.”
“……”
Suddenly, the coachman driving the carriage spoke to me.
It’s them.
Only the White Ship makes contact this way.
The organization that opposes the demon worshippers: [White Ship].
A suspicious group where all members wear masks by default.
If something is related to demons, they silently appear and intervene in the situation.
Unlike the “Special Forces Knights” who often resort to evil acts or terrorism just to draw out cultists, this group acts as quietly as possible.
These people, who go to great lengths to conceal their identities, reached out to me first.
It happened right after I left the Academy with Awen’s help.
“Adel Bliss. Is Sally White’s disappearance related to you, the one we had under observation?”
I couldn’t see the face of the man with his hat pulled low. But judging by his voice, I had a vague idea of who he was, so I just shrugged.
Clunk.
I pushed on the carriage door, but it was firmly locked from the outside.
“I don’t know either, which is why I’m on my way to look for her now.”
“……Was the report Sally White submitted about you falsified?”
“No. She wrote it exactly as it was.”
“……Adel Bliss. Then, do you know a way to reverse someone who has undergone demonification?”
“It depends on the person.”
Clop. Clop—….
Evening was approaching. Only the quiet sound of horse hooves echoed in the air. At a glance, the scenery seemed peaceful, but I didn’t let my guard down.
The opponent was undeniably powerful. I had the advantage in terms of compatibility… but if it came to a fight, I’d have to reveal my demonic form. And that would complicate things.
Crackle—
—I spotted a magic sigil carved into the corner.
“…Then, is the reason you were able to return to being human related to your innate inability to use magic?”
“If you say yes, then yes. If you say no, then no.”
This exchange was a form of lie detection.
It’s said that extremely well-trained individuals can detect lies just by sensing the aura in someone’s answer.
What that coachman is doing is the fully developed form of that ability.
It’s a technique that checks the body’s reactions like heartbeats, or more precisely, how the mana pulses flow outward.
But unfortunately for him, that skill doesn’t work on Shifters whose mana pulses don’t extend beyond their bodies.
He has no way of knowing whether what I say is true or false.
Perhaps because of that, the coachman sighed.
“…Adel Bliss. It has been confirmed that you’re human. Not just by Sally White, but with my own eyes as well. And the fact that you left without permission after sensing something had happened to an acquaintance… that revealed your character.”
“Deeply honored.”
“Then allow me to ask a more direct question.”
With the same sharp eyes, the coachman spoke again.
“…If Sally White has undergone demonification, can you turn her back into a human?”
“……”
Yes, it’s possible. The method is a bit complicated, but with the person’s cooperation, it can be done.
But I couldn’t answer immediately.
Because the intention behind the question was far too transparent.
“…Don’t tell me…Sally’s been demonified?”
“…We don’t know. Sally White’s abilities make her hard to track. But…”
Clop. Clop…
“We’re considering it a strong possibility.”
“……”
Just then, from a bit further away, I heard another set of hooves approaching.
“Halt! Halt!”
“…A checkpoint.”
For some reason, the atmosphere in the city center felt tense.
***
The city center, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was stiff with tension.
Knights could be seen everywhere, and troops were on high alert. Something had clearly happened.
“Mr. Adel Bliss. Confirmed. You may pass!”
“Clear!”
I had just managed to sneak out unnoticed, only to get caught up in a checkpoint.
Unfortunate, but I’ll just have to pray this doesn’t reach the ears of any Academy professors.
“…Didn’t expect things to have escalated this much.”
I murmured quietly while saluting the soldier through a “very small window”. The reason for the checkpoint was blatantly obvious.
The Demon of Justice and Execution. That’s undoubtedly what’s behind this tense atmosphere.
It must be the kind of demon that clings to humans. No wonder they’re inspecting everyone passing through.
Normally, I should’ve been discovered by the headmaster and executed long ago, but for some reason, the situation keeps dragging on.
Still… it’s kind of pitiful.
I suddenly recalled my time on sentry duty back in the modern era… I shook my head, brushing off the thought.
“To answer your earlier question, yes…it’s possible to turn someone back into a human.”
“…I won’t ask you to tell me how. But even if it’s a one-time method, if you’re willing to hand it over, I’ll make sure the reward isn’t disappointing.”
“Well… there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
Pasa’s Recovery Potion. The one I used to return to being human.
Under normal circumstances, it’s nearly impossible to obtain or produce.
So, I altered it to work on just one person…myself. It was a bit of a shortcut to lower the difficulty of making it.
A potion that only works on a single individual. In other words, a “personal item”.
You could say it was a half-finished product that sacrificed versatility. To make it, I needed the blood of the person who would take it.
“I need Sally White’s blood.”
And that’s not all.
“I’ll also need a bunch of medicinal ingredients. Last time, I barely managed by patching it together with what I found in Black Alley…”
I pointed back at the checkpoint we had just passed.
“With the capital in this state, Black Alley is probably in hiding too. The black market won’t be open, so getting materials is going to be a problem.”
“……”
“On top of that, this method requires blood from when the person is still human. If we’re too late, that’s another issue.”
The coachman fell silent.
The coachman could only be seen through a small window.
He was probably weighing things in his head. But Sally’s unique qualities are too valuable to give up on. For maintaining the security of the White Ship, she’s an enormous asset.
“…We have to find Sally White.”
“That’s the first step, yes.”
“…There’s something I want to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Help us track down Sally White. The reward will be more than satisfactory.”
At that, I shrugged.
A small chuckle escaped me.
“Well. A reward? Are you sure? You’d be hiring me, you know.”
“……”
“…Don’t you find it odd? Don’t you think I’m a little too calm about all this?”
The city center we had entered was unusually quiet compared to normal. The coachman remained silent, simply listening to me.
“As if I already know what’s going to happen to me Adel Bliss who became human with a recovery potion even the White Ship doesn’t know about. Who somehow knew Camilla would come find him. Who shattered a barrier made with demonic power in a single strike.”
“…You bastard.”
“Right before Sally, a member of the organization, went missing… you two were reportedly quite close. Even I have to admit. That’s suspicious.”
Baang!!
At that point, I kicked the carriage door open with my foot. It had been locked from the outside.
Then, I jumped down without hesitation.
At the same moment, the horses let out sharp snorts and came to a halt.
“You think I’m the culprit, don’t you? That I’m hiding my demonic transformation using some technique developed by demon worshippers… or that I’m the one who implanted a demon seed in Sally.”
“…Get back in the carriage, Adel Bliss.”
“Oh, I’m sure you don’t mean back in calmly. You mean a one-way trip to a cell, lock me up so I can’t escape. Why would I go along with that?”
A carriage with an external lock. A tiny window, like one used to transport criminals. No way to reach the coachman’s seat. Magical engravings carved into the corner.
And you expect me to help after putting me in this? There’s no way I can trust you.
“Just cooperate and this will all be over! Adel Bliss!!”
“Sorry, but I don’t have time for this. Like you said, we miss the golden hour and it’s over. Anything involving Sally White…I’ll handle it myself, and fast.”
There’s too much to do. I can’t waste time on nonsense like this.
As I watched him pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, I quietly focused my mana around my legs. Even if it tears a few muscles, I don’t have a choice. It’s better to force my way out now.
“…I can’t understand this. In that case, you really must be the culprit. Answer me. Where is Sally White?”
“No idea, you piece of shit..”
“…‘Do not move’. Adel Bliss.”
Woooooom—
In that instant, heat waves shimmered in the air.
A high-level magic, “Word Magic”.
It floods the air with dense magical waves that even reach into a person’s body to influence them.
But of course… for a Shifter, whose mana doesn’t leak outside the body but flows inward instead, this kind of magic is far less effective. In fact, it’s almost useless.
“You should’ve just said ‘stop’ instead. Then I might’ve actually stopped.”
“What…?!”
Crack!
With those words, I gathered all the mana into my legs and slammed them against the ground.
Booom!
It launched me into the air with a leap I could never achieve under normal conditions.
Ow!!
Mid-air. I felt the fibers in my legs snapping one by one. But this much is fine. I can recover with shapeshifting.
Leaving behind the coachman, now frozen in shock like a dog that lost its prey, I dashed across the rooftops.
Somewhere Sally White might be hiding…
I have one place in mind.
***
The convent.
A place where only those who have dedicated their body and soul to the One True God of the Empire may belong.
A sacred space of daily prayer, where both bodies and hair are modestly covered in devotion.
It’s a church, a convent, and at the same time, an orphanage.
“Whoa!! A man we’ve never seen before!”
“Who are you?!”
I ran into the children in the convent’s backyard.
It felt a little strange being called “mister” looking like this… but I had just gone demonic to heal my legs.
Since I’d grown taller, I must look the part to them.
“Hey there.”
“Hi!! Who are you, mister?”
“How did you get in?”
I’m fairly used to dealing with kids.
If you approach them with the mindset of becoming a kid yourself, it’s easy to get along…
We exchanged greetings and were playing together for a while when it happened.
“…Who are you?”
“Waaah! That’s cheating, mister!”
“Ahaha!! What do you mean, cheating? I won—huh?”
A nun, looking like she had rushed over in a hurry, was eyeing me warily.
“Ahem.”
Leave a Reply