──It’s a pain I can never get used to.
◆ Warning! A demon parasite is consuming your body!
“Ugh…”
Agonizing pain surged through my entire body.
Was it the instability of this artificially created demon? The Demon of Justice and Execution which was called the “Justice-Exec Demon” by the original game’s players ignited a burning sensation entirely different from the Rage Demon.
My vision flickered, blinking in and out. The pain that started in my eyes soon wrapped around my entire head.
Crack—
My body was transforming. Unlike before, when two horns grew from either side of my forehead, this time, a single grotesquely shaped horn pierced through my skull.
And that wasn’t all.
Starting from the fingernails of my right hand, a metallic blade had begun forming….before I knew it, it had overtaken my entire right arm.
Something sprouted from my back where my shoulder blades were.
What entered the edge of my vision was thorny vines. Tangled branches studded with thorns wove together and eventually formed the shape of wings.
“….”
The pain of my back being torn open was so intense it took my breath away. It was enough to make me want to scream. I bit down on my lip like a gag to suppress it.
[Adel Bliss] → [Adel Bliss (Demon of Justice and Execution)]
“Heh… heh heh…”
I coughed up blood. The pain of my body forcibly transforming into something metallic defied all description.
That’s when I heard the splattering of blood hitting the ground. And maybe that’s what made her realize something was wrong.
“…Adel?”
Sasha’s closed eyes opened and in the next instant, were filled with sheer horror.
“…A…del?”
Her wide-open eyes clearly reflected my form. With her inhumanly sharp vision, I could see my image mirrored in her pupils.
A massive sword-shaped right arm.
Wings made of thorned vines.
A horn resembling the Seven-Branched Sword.
Eyes that see sin.
Just like what I’d seen in the game. The form of the Demon of Justice and Execution.
As an artificially created demon, its horrific appearance was on a completely different level from that of the Rage Demon.
“…Ah, ugh?”
Sasha stepped back, shaking her head.
“…No… way.”
It felt like blood had been splattered across my vision. Even through it, my unique abilities and traits were still active.
Her heartbeat and her aura was so vivid. It was as if I could grasp it with my bare hands.
◆ [Eyes That See Sin] has been activated.
◆ [Total Magical Structure Analysis] is resonating!
Anxiety, unease… and self-reproach… I see. So that’s how it is.
The heart that had once been filled with affection was now overwhelmed with a much greater fear.
“…No. No, no…”
Trembling fingertips lifted her clothes, and she confirmed that the demonic sigil that had once marked her lower abdomen had completely vanished.
“……”
Watching that, I had a thought.
What happens when someone takes on a burden that wasn’t theirs to bear? A sacrifice made by one for another.
How does the one receiving that sacrifice respond?
Do they rejoice? Feign indifference while feeling relief? Feel guilty, yet secretly grateful for the lifted weight?
Or do they brazenly act as if it was only natural?
I couldn’t say for sure. But I figured those were all understandable human responses. After all, I’d seen such reactions plenty of times in modern life.
That was what I expected.
“…No. This, this isn’t right!!!”
But I was wrong.
The reaction Sasha gave… didn’t fall into any of those categories.
It was astonishing. Sasha raising her voice like that?
“Why why would you…──!! …Give it back. Give it back──!!! Put it back where it was—!! You idiot──!!”
The way her self-blame began to overflow. It was heartbreaking.
And that wasn’t all.
Through the “Eyes That See Sin” what I saw in her was nothing short of complete innocence.
For some reason, I found myself smiling.
All the struggle over the past thirty days…it hadn’t been in vain.
If that’s the case… maybe a single line of dialogue, played at the right moment, wouldn’t be so bad.
With that feeling in mind, I whispered softly:
“Live, Sasha Koskov──.”
It was then.
──Crunch.
“……!”
In an instant, something pierced through my chest.
A blow that ran straight through my heart. My lungs must’ve been ruptured too because I couldn’t even scream.
The world tilted sideways.
A shrill sound rang in my ears. I thought to myself how it sounded just like that tone in movies used to signal cardiac arrest.
“─Tch. So the Bliss brat turned out to be a demon worshipper after all. Looks like I was wrong. I was sure it had to be the Koskov girl.”
Through the blurred vision, what I saw was the figure of someone clad in full armor.
The Commander of the Special Task Force…Niel.
“Don’t look at me like that. I merely carried out a summary execution.”
***
Thirty days.
A whole thirty days.
When I first fell into this world, I had barely over a week to prepare for the battle against Camilla.
In comparison, thirty days was enough time to do so much more.
There had been countless thoughts.
Was saving Sasha the right thing to do? If she were to disappear from the story now, what consequences would it bring? Was there really any reason to be this obsessed?
But those thoughts disappeared not long after I began investigating.
…The Special Task Force.
A special order of knights under the direct control of the Imperial Family.
Once I realized the kinds of things they had done under such authority, I couldn’t just sit back and watch.
The more I uncovered, the more I found that their actions were deeply entangled with the main storyline I was familiar with.
They were wreaking havoc behind the scenes of the plot…utterly screwing things up.
So many incidents that should never have occurred… would not have, if not for the Special Task Force.
Sasha’s case was one of them.
To put it plainly, her father was not the criminal the world believed him to be.
That image had been fabricated by the Special Task Force.
The very reason the Demon of Justice and Execution came into being traces back to these bastards.
They were the ones who sold the blueprints for the magical machine known as the “Imperial Patroller”, the original model for the Demon of Justice and Execution, to demon worshippers.
And the first host of the resulting demon parasite—
Was none other than Sasha’s father: David Koskov.
He had been a member of the Special Task Force. And just before he could blow the whistle on them… that tragedy occurred.
No matter how you looked at it…it was collusion.
They had been turning a blind eye to the demon worshippers in exchange for minor achievements to pad their records.
A festering cancer of an organization. All size and authority, no actual competence.
That’s probably why, by the middle arc of the game, they were wiped out by the very demon worshippers they were in league with.
Disposed of the moment they became useless.
“Ah, ugh, ah…?”
“What’s with that shocked face, Sasha Koskov? That man is a criminal you despise…a demon worshipper.”
A cold hand touched me. The way the slender fingers trembled made it clear. It was Sasha’s hand.
“A…del. A…del. Adel. Adel…?”
And then, another voice spoke.
“Is he… dead?”
“Ah, Professor Quinoron. I took care of him ahead of time. Thanks to that, we were able to track down their location.”
“Hm. What a shame. He was a boy with brilliant talent…”
“It was probably an achievement built on filth. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the one who stole the machine blueprints. His family’s past misdeeds were no small matter.”
Amid their seemingly calm conversation—
“…No… No, no────!!!!!”
Suddenly, a surreal scream burst from Sasha.
She kept repeating disjointed, broken words.
“Give him back. Give him back!!! Bring him back. Adel. Open your eyes. Please.”
As if trying to take back the demon parasite I had taken, she pressed her lips to mine.
Like a child who thinks everything can be fixed just by imitating the motions, she kissed me over and over again.
Even though I must still look like a grotesque demon, she didn’t care.
Only…it was cold. Shockingly cold.
“Professor Quinoron. Remove her.”
“…As you wish.”
The sound of something being dragged.
Then, a metallic clank.
“…Sasha Koskov. You’ll be questioned about your attitude toward this man.”
Clang—
The sound of a visor lifting.
“Hmm. Did you fall for him after seeing his face? I’ll admit….he’s not bad-looking. If only he didn’t have those horns. Anyway, I’ll take that into consideration.”
The chill of cold metal brushed against my face.
“…Don’t touch him. Not with those filthy hands.”
“Kuhaha. Were you lovers or something? How unfortunate. A father and now a lover. Both demon worshippers.”
“No!! Adel isn’t like that. He… to me, he was──…”
That’s as far as she got.
Suddenly, my eyes flew open and I grabbed the hand that was touching my face.
“──What?!”
Then I pulled.
Now face-to-face with her, I gripped the pendant hanging from my neck and muttered softly.
“…Wound Transfer.”
Crack—
“────Gah?!!”
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
***
A demon doesn’t die just from having its heart pierced.
That’s why, in the original story, when Camilla killed Adel, she severed his head.
But this isn’t widely known for good reason. Demons have long since vanished from this world.
So I decided to exploit that gap in knowledge to kill Niel.
In a fair one-on-one, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance.
The method was simple. I just needed to use the pendant etched with the “Wound Transfer” spell. A tool I had prepared for the fight with Camilla but never got the chance to use.
And this… was the result.
“Wha… ugh…?”
The Commander of the Special Task Force.
A character considered stronger than most playable characters by the midpoint of the game.
Niel was bleeding inside her armor.
In contrast, I tapped the gaping hole that had been in my chest. It was slowly healing.
Even if I’m an artificial demon, a demon is still a demon. Maybe not on par with the Rage Demon, but the regeneration ability is undeniably impressive.
“Y-You… even after doing… something like this…”
I didn’t answer. I quietly restrained Niel with the wings on my back. Thorny vines extended and coiled tightly around her.
Crackle—
◆ [Shape Transformation] Trait activated
◆ Temporarily entering “Unlimited Cast Standby” state for 41 types of magic.
“What do you mean, ‘something like this’?”
“…You were… targeting me… from the start…”
Niel struggled, trying to resist even in her condition. Being able to move after that kind of injury…she truly was a mana core user.
“You were after me all along, weren’t you? That’s why… you approached Sasha Koskov…”
At that, Sasha who had been staring at me in confusion began to tremble.
“S-Sasha… attack this man… I’m not going to die… Kill him, and prove… your innocence!”
Niel shouted viciously. Her face which was only visible from my side was bulging with veins, so distorted it was grotesque.
“You’re the one who has to prove your innocence, Niel.”
Quietly, I released the demon parasite I had kept suppressed.
A voice roared from within my body.
[Sin!!! Sin!!! Massive!!! It’s so massive, it’s overwhelming!!!]
[Kill!! Kill!!!! Must execute!! Execute now!!]
“I can see it, you know.”
I tapped the corner of my eye.
This demon’s authority. “The Eye That Sees Sin.”
The color of sin, visible in red, was flooding Niel’s body.
Her color wasn’t just red. It was so deep it was nearly black.
“It was all lies, wasn’t it, Commander of the Special Task Force?”
“Wh-What… are you… saying…”
“Sasha’s father being a demon worshiper, the fact that the blueprint for the magic machine was leaked recently, even the idea that you’re part of an organization fighting against demon worshipers…every bit of it.”
I continued speaking, watching Sasha’s face begin to twist.
“You’re the one who leaked the blueprint that created this demon ten years ago. The first host was David Koskov, wasn’t it? You eliminated the whistleblower, boosted your own record, and wiped out every knight who supported David. And that’s not even the half of it.”
I raised my right hand. The gleam of a sharp blade flashed.
“Excessive force, coerced testimony, threats against the Magic Tower and the merchants’ guild, building connections to spread false information… You really went all out.”
“…Sh-Shut up! You damn demon…—!! Anyone can see—you’re the real monster—!”
I pointed the sword in my right hand at her.
“…Ha. I don’t know what trick you pulled, but that won’t be enough to hurt me. You insect!!! This armor is protected by multiple defense spells…!”
Without hesitation, I drove the sword deep into her.
“…Kh!”
It felt like cutting into a cake.
Only a demon of justice and execution, one who grows stronger in the presence of sinners, could pull off something like this.
I let out a faint chuckle and spoke.
“But I still have one more strike left.”
Now. After thirty days of hardship, it’s finally time to reap the reward.
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