Chapter 38: The Judge Part 6

The timing was perfect.

The lack of strength was compensated with overtechnology equipment obtained from Emily.

After setting up the situation and waiting for the right moment, a single opportunity had finally come.

“Ah…”

But the strike aimed at Tillis’s forehead was blocked with such ease that it felt almost meaningless.

That single opportunity the weaker Johan could use had been spent just like that.

“It was a perfect ambush. I might have been in real danger if you’d been just a bit more lucky.”

The attack aimed at Tillis’s forehead was blocked by Mastema’s wings.

Like a parent shielding a child’s eyes, the wings covered Tillis’s face, and Johan’s dagger that was driven in with all his might was embedded in them.

“But it’s a shame. Power aside, your speed was far too lacking.”

A gentle smile appeared on the part of her lips not hidden by the wings.

It truly had been a threatening surprise attack.

Unfortunately, the difference in specs between the two was simply too great.

Even if the attack had landed, Tillis wouldn’t have died.

She was a being who could truly be called a monster.

And that fact—

“Huh?”

Johan knew it all too well.

He had never planned to defeat Tillis in the first place.

He hadn’t even expected to injure her.

He knew the attack would be blocked.

Given his lack of strength, aiming for the eyes, which were one of her true weak points, would have been more effective.

But he didn’t do that because he anticipated the attack would be blocked from the start.

By aiming at her forehead instead of her eyes, he had hoped the wings would completely block her vision, even for just a moment.

He had even rehearsed. He already knew that in a similar situation, Tillis would choose to defend rather than evade.

This was the result of long preparation—

The culmination of painstaking effort to predict her behavior. He even went to her lectures to analyze her patterns.

“Where…?”

Tillis blinked and looked around.

Neither Coran Lekias nor Johan, who had just ambushed her, were anywhere to be seen.

He had fled.

“So there are tricks like this too…”

Even if her vision had been obstructed, Tillis had no intention of letting Johan escape.

And yet, why had she lost him?

The reason was that the dagger embedded in her wings still carried force.

Contrary to her assumption that Johan was still gripping the dagger to apply pressure, it was actually fitted with a strange mechanical device that delivered force through propulsion.

Which meant Johan had let go of the dagger at some point.

“From the very beginning…?”

She was genuinely surprised.

That meant he hadn’t even held the slightest hope that the ambush would succeed.

In a sense, it might be said he acted with complete conviction.

“Haha!”

Tillis placed a hand on her forehead and let out a short laugh of disbelief.

The gap in ability was overwhelming, and yet she never imagined she’d be caught off guard like this.

However…

“Did he really believe he could get away?”

Tillis turned her head.

Her senses were dull compared to those of other superhumans. That was because she had so many external eyes to compensate.

But there was something only she could sense.

“I can feel it all.”

It was the energy of demons.

A demon’s energy was rapidly descending the mountain.

It wasn’t a speed she couldn’t keep up with. Even in her current, exhausted state.

However…

He must have an accomplice.

Tillis had already sparred with Johan once before, so she knew the speed she was sensing now was beyond his capabilities.

And then there was that dagger from earlier.

It was clearly a product of Ex Machina, but its design was entirely different from Coran Lekias’s technology.

That meant there was another Ex Machina member involved. And charging in recklessly would be dangerous.

“Well then, let’s keep a little distance and follow at a relaxed pace.”

Of course, that didn’t mean she was giving up. Tillis’s most monstrous trait was her regenerative ability.

Even a five-minute rest would be enough for her to recover more than half her stamina.

With that in mind, Tillis began pursuing Johan while maintaining a certain distance, buying herself some time.

And sure enough, she encountered interference during the chase.

“The resistance is stronger than I expected…”

Even as she pushed through mines and traps with her bare body, Tillis pouted and grumbled.

Did he really think something like this could stop her?

Even if he managed to stall for time, escape was impossible.

No matter how hard he struggled, there wouldn’t be enough time to call for help.

Tillis had calculated that much herself.

However, when the obstacles became increasingly annoying, she began accelerating her pursuit of Johan.

And when she finally caught up completely—

“……?”

Tillis saw not Johan, but a small drone floating in the air, scattering traps in all directions.

And upon noticing a book tied to it, Tillis finally realized she had been deceived.

“What is this…?”

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t sensed any demonic energy from Johan when they first met.

However, when they met for the second time, Johan had been radiating demonic energy, which led Tillis to assume that he had finally made a contract with a demon.

But he hadn’t.

Johan had only planted the illusion that he had formed a contract.

It had all been part of the plan from the start.

“This is useless.”

After grabbing the drone and inspecting the Lemegeton in its uncontracted state, Tillis couldn’t help but frown.

Tillis could only devour demons that had already formed a contract.

Demons were transcendent beings.

No matter how powerful Tillis was, it was impossible to bind a demon that wasn’t already bound by a contract.

“Ah.”

To make matters worse, the Lemegeton in Tillis’s hand scattered like smoke.

When the demon realized the book had fallen into someone else’s hands and not Johan’s, it retrieved it.

“Haah…”

Tillis let out a deep breath.

She had been completely played. The realization brought her a wave of exhaustion.

Still, she felt a quiet sense of relief.

“If he resisted the temptations of a spirit, then Johan must be a good person.”

Evil for evil.

Good for good.

According to Tillis’s simple and clear-cut code of conduct, Johan Damus was now classified as a good person.

“Well, fine. I’ll consider today a win and leave it at that.”

Tillis smiled brightly.

Then she stared for a moment at the drone she was holding.

“Oh.”

So focused had she been on the demon that she only just noticed something surprising.

The drone in her grasp was squirming, trying to escape.

“How cute.”

There was something oddly cute about it.

And so, Tillis took the drone with her as a trophy.

***

Only once Tillis and her demons were out of sight did I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

“Hahk…!”

I removed the optical camouflage cloak Emily had made.

In reality, I hadn’t moved a single step from where I had stabbed the dagger.

The distance was so close that I worried I might get caught, but fortunately, Emily’s skill and the favorable surroundings seemed to have worked in our favor.

It felt like a waste to burn through all the lies I had scattered over time just in case something like this happened, but thanks to them, I managed to successfully fool Tillis.

“Let’s go back.”

I supported the collapsed Coran Lekias and headed for the escape route we had secretly used to enter.

Tillis probably didn’t even know the escape route existed, so even if she returned and tried to find us, she wouldn’t have enough time.

It was while we were making our way through the escape route.

“Gahk! Kuhh…”

“Good grief, are you all right? At your age, you should know better than to overexert yourself.”

“Why… did you come to rescue me?”

What a disheartening thing to say.

Why did we come to rescue you? Is that really the first thing you say to someone who saved your life?

Then again, if you go into a fight expecting to die, maybe that’s how you think.

“If you’re so curious, ask your student, not me.”

“Emily…”

Emily was up ahead, reinforcing the escape tunnel we’d be using to get out.

Just like when we first came down, the tunnel had partially collapsed and couldn’t be fully restored, so she was doing what she could to support the walls, at least temporarily.

Seeing the mechanical device sprouting from Emily’s back, Coran Lekias let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“So, you’re the one…”

He must have realized by now that Emily, like him, was one of the Ex Machina.

No, knowing how much smarter he was than me, he had probably already figured out that Emily was an even more brilliant researcher than he was.

“Why did you save me? I can’t imagine I was worth it to you.”

“…Because you’re my teacher.”

“Even though I had nothing left to teach you?”

A bitter remark.

Well, that’s people for you.

He might have felt more betrayed by being deceived than grateful for being saved.

Especially considering he was cornered. Both physically and mentally.

Of course, it was understandable. But accepting it was another matter entirely.

“…I learned a lot from you, Master.”

Emily replied in a flat voice.

“I learned that you shouldn’t go snooping through someone else’s research journals.”

Even taking into account that she was a researcher of the Ex Machina, Emily’s emotions were still quite detached from those of ordinary people.

“I also learned that asking about the reason behind someone’s research can be considered rude.”

Coran Lekias had always tried to discipline Emily whenever she acted out.

I had even witnessed such moments myself.

“I learned how people become entangled with one another as they live their lives.”

“……”

Emily turned and looked at Coran Lekias.

Her face remained expressionless, but her unwavering determination was clear.

“Emily… I’m not a good person.”

“I know.”

“I was only projecting my dead granddaughter onto you.”

“I know that too.”

“I’m not someone worth saving. Not if it means putting yourself at risk.”

“Maybe not.”

Coran Lekias might have had a tragic past, but that doesn’t justify his actions.

He was a criminal who dragged countless people into chaos.

“Master, why did you see me as your granddaughter?”

“…….”

“Was it because I resembled her? I heard she died trying to help people from the slums….people she had no connection to.”

Emily turned her head away again.

She spoke as she cleared away the debris one piece at a time in front of her.

“That’s why I did the same. I lived the life of the kind of person you were proud of. I simply put into practice the way of life you taught me.”

“I… you…”

Coran Lekias’s body trembled.

Even though his face wasn’t visible, I could feel that he was crying as he bowed his head.

“Because you taught me… that this is how you treat family.”

But it was okay. The roar emitted by Emily’s mechanical device was loud enough to bury everything.

Even the stubborn old man’s regrets and self-blame would vanish into that sound.

***

By the time we escaped through the exit, the world was shrouded in darkness.

We had an injured person and we moved carefully, so it had gotten late.

“Big brother Johan, from here on, I’ll take care of you.”

“…Alright.”

The device protruding from Emily’s back began to change shape.

It shifted and transformed moment by moment, and in the end, it became a carriage large enough to lay a person down in.

It hit me once again that she was an executive of Ex Machina.

The structure was completely beyond my understanding.

“You did well.”

“Yes, you did well too.”

I laid Coran Lekias, whom I had been supporting, down onto the carriage and rolled my shoulders lightly.

Now, it finally felt like everything was over.

This might have been the biggest ordeal I’ve faced in recent times.

“I’ll finish the item you mentioned and send it to you by next week.”

“Alright.”

Even just the tools I borrowed from Emily today were impressive in themselves.

After everything I went through helping her today, I could only hope the item turns out to be worth the effort.

“Then get home safe.”

“You too, big brother Johan.”

I let out a small laugh even as I spoke.

I don’t know who’s supposed to be worrying about who here. She was, after all, an executive of Ex Machina.

We were about to part ways—

“Big brother Johan.”

“Hmm?”

When I turned around at Emily’s voice, I saw it.

“Thank you for today♡”

She was smiling as she made a heart in the air with her fingers.

The same awkward cute act as always.

But…

“Sure.”

This time, it was kind of cute.