– Meow!
This body is a cat. Of course, it has a name.
“Wow. That’s impressive.”
Aira clapped her hands. It was praise directed at me, who had turned into a cat after only a few attempts.
It’s easier than I thought.
It felt strange. It felt like the temperature had dropped slightly. Loud sounds disappeared, and even very small noises were caught by my hearing.
The world felt bigger. The bed, which had already seemed large, now felt wide enough to be called a small playground.
It wasn’t only objects that had become bigger. Aira had already been quite tall, but now the difference was so great that I had to completely look up at her.
“…Is it an Abyssinian breed? But the fur is a bit bluish-gray… It’s cute, Adel. I just turn into a black cat.”
I looked at the mirror placed to the side.
Well. Contrary to what she said, the cat reflected there resembled the breed commonly called a “Russian Blue” in the modern world.
Maybe the original appearance influences it to some extent. Even from my perspective, it looked pretty decent.
– Meow.
“Hmm? You’ll need to practice a bit if you want to make human-like sounds. The vocal structure is different.”
I nodded. After all, she was a senior who had the same constitution as me. If I practiced, it would probably work eventually.
[Madman Adel (Adel Bliss) (Cat)]
The status window’s label looked a little careless, but at least it clearly informed me that the transformation had worked properly.
Even though I couldn’t speak, right now I was definitely a cat. Well, cats can’t speak anyway, so in a way I might actually be closer to a real cat than Aira.
“You still can’t go outside.”
Perhaps she noticed my excitement. Aira gave me a warning. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, she said,
“There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to maintain that form steadily. A sudden shock might cancel it.”
“..….”
In truth, the system window would handle things like that.
It would tell me how long I could maintain the form or warn me in advance if a problem occurred, so there wasn’t much to worry about.
“Besides, the demon’s power is somewhat hidden now… but if someone is extremely sensitive, you never know.”
– …Meow.
That was true. It was my way of expressing agreement.
“…So for now, go out together with me first.”
Aira brought a small hat that looked like it was for animals. A wide-brimmed hat identical to the one she was wearing.
– Meow!!
“Hmm? Rebelling in that form won’t help.”
After feeling my head being firmly pressed down, a hat was suddenly fixed on top of it.
“It suits you well.”
“……”
Even cats can sigh.
Realizing that fact, I quietly nodded.
“Walk Black Alley with me.”
– Meow.
“There’s nothing more atmospheric than a night walk.”
Aira smiled.
“……”
Maybe it was because I had become a cat.
But somehow, I sensed an emotion in Aira’s expression that felt different from usual.
***
…Did the incident where I transformed into a demon and went on a rampage really happen?
The outside, which I was seeing again after a long time, was filled with the cool air of a summer night.
Sway, sway.
Lanterns hanging along the street shyly scattered colorful lights as they moved with the wind.
Beneath them, the lively noise unique to nighttime streets echoed everywhere.
Voices shouting about something.
Outside taverns packed with people, drunken men at the prepared tables raised their beer mugs high.
Clink—
Women laughed loudly while exchanging jokes about their husbands. The street was filled with mouthwatering smells.
– Meow.
Aira and I slowly walked through the middle of the street. Although she was wearing quite provocative clothing, no one paid us any attention. It seemed she was using some kind of special magic.
“Tonight is a full moon.”
“……”
“And soon, it’ll be the season when the Academy Exchange Festival begins.”
I see. So that was why. I nodded inwardly.
I had wondered why people who looked like ordinary citizens were overflowing into Black Alley, but if it was festival season, that made sense.
By now, the center of the capital was probably packed with crowds. These people must have come all the way out here to avoid the masses.
Aira lifted me up. Since it didn’t feel like she had any hostile intent, I stayed still, and she smiled strangely once again.
“…That shop used to be a place that performed illegal engraving magic. Right now they’re temporarily selling fried chicken.”
“The person running a shell game over there. He’s one of the most well-known mercenaries in Black Alley. Not because of his skill, but because he’ll do anything you ask.”
“Oh my. Look over there, Adel.”
When I looked where she pointed, I almost ended up frowning deeply.
Someone was juggling magic artifacts. Catching the flying artifacts with his head and skillfully tossing them back up again. It was the kind of stunt you’d normally see in a circus troupe.
…Deeks.
In a corner of Black Alley, the owner of a magic-artifact shop Deeks.
With a wide grin on his face, he was collecting money.
The reason it was collection was simple.
– Waaah!!
– Clap clap clap clap!
Because he had placed a money box in front and was charging people to watch.
Seriously…
“You know that person, right? Adel.”
“……”
“Do you want to say hello?”
I shook my head. Even if I greeted him in the form of a cat, there was no way he’d respond. With Deeks’s personality, he might even chase me away for being annoying.
“That’s a shame.”
Like that, Aira kept taking me around.
It seemed she had long since stopped the experiment of checking whether anyone could sense the demonic power leaking from me.
Before I knew it, quite a lot of time had passed. It felt like we had already gone around nearly every corner of Black Alley.
“……”
That was when I clearly began to feel something strange.
“Even if it’s Black Alley, it’s not that bad, right?”
It felt like she was trying to imprint something on me.
Her tone was gentle and deliberate, as if she wanted her words to sink deep into my heart.
“It may look dangerous, but there are definitely places that sell daily necessities.”
“You can live a proper life here too. You can even enjoy cultural activities.”
Aira smiled again.
“A quiet and peaceful life. It might not seem to suit this place at all, but there is definitely peace here too.”
The darkness of the Empire.
The lowest layer that even in the original story had never been fully uncovered.
That Black Alley….the woman before my eyes kept introducing every corner of it, saying that this place wasn’t so bad either.
The sense of dissonance coming from that sharply intensified the strange feeling I had been sensing until now.
“Since the beginning, shadows have always followed wherever there is light.”
“Adel. Black Alley will never disappear.”
She lifted me up. I quietly looked at the face that had come close to mine.
Under the full moon.
Amid the distant commotion and the hazy summer air.
…Beneath the wide brim, the face of Aira that I caught a glimpse of was expressionless.
“A haven that will never vanish. Comfortable darkness. The bottom where there is violence, but no one is killed.”
“……”
“…It’s not that bad, right? Living here forever.”
Aira pressed her nose against mine. Her breath smelled sweet.
“Right, Adel?”
***
White Ship.
An organization whose purpose was to hunt demon worshippers and annihilate demons.
They sat around a round table made of white wood. It was a meeting after a long time.
“…You look ridiculous, Captain.”
A woman with blazing red hair spoke. A large bow was slung across her back, and she kept chewing on something.
“Watch your mouth, Mary. Be aware of who you’re speaking to.”
“Who else? The Captain. A comrade who barely made it back alive after almost losing an arm.”
“If you can’t show respect, at least show some courtesy. You brainless bitch. The organization’s hierarchy gets messed up because of people like you.”
Mary and Jeffrey. The two who were famous for being like cats and dogs even within the White Ship.
No….rather than calling them cats and dogs…
It would be more accurate to say they despised each other.
“Hierarchy? Damn, I never thought I’d hear that kind of bullshit from a demon-worshipper. Jeffrey. Have you gotten soft from being holed up in the capital? Why do you think we’re sitting around this round table?”
“The White Ship is no longer the same organization it used to be. It needs to become a more structured organization. Don’t you even understand that?”
“Yeah, sure. Fine, the Captain’s the highest, whatever. But who the hell are you to start lecturing me.…”
It was always Breward who stopped their clashes.
Not with scolding or warnings, but with a single sentence that froze the air of the meeting hall.
“—That bastard was our surveillance target.”
Silence.
“……”
“……”
Breward continued in a low, heavy voice. In just a few days, he looked as though he had aged several years.
“Sally White infiltrated the Academy and observed him as the target. And on the day of the incident we had been worried about, he briefly demonized but managed to return to himself.”
“…What?! What are you talking about, Captain? There’s a way to return from demonization to being human?”
Mary shot back in disbelief. Breward answered quietly.
“It’s something Sally confirmed herself. You know that she used to be a nun.”
“…He really came back? From a demon to a human?”
At that question, Breward briefly gestured toward the air. Soon, a wine glass was placed before him.
“Henry supported her testimony. From what he saw, Adel Bliss is human and an outstanding talent.”
“What the hell. Then what exactly happened?”
Every member of the White Ship was staring at Breward.
Some with suspicion, some with anger, and others with interest.
“…Sally White would never betray the organization. The same goes for Henry. Besides, Adel Bliss already has a record of stopping an artificial demon.”
“……”
“After looking into it, this was the answer.”
Breward looked at the empty seat.
Originally, that seat should have been occupied by a girl with peach-colored hair.
Breward remembered someone who, even while transformed into a demon, had been pressing Harunsdel’s secretary with questions.
Now that an extensive post-incident investigation into Harunsdel’s ship, the Encounter, was underway… he knew who that person was.
Everything had started from a single feeling. That the demon who appeared in the capital had been strangely lenient toward him.
“They have created a method far more powerful than anything before.”
“…Captain. That—”
Clank!!
The sound of metal rang across the round table.
“They’ve invented a way to drive a human into ruin in an instant.”
A metal box used in experiments to forcibly demonize humans using demonic factors.
The “Innovation Cube” appeared on top of the round table.
“……”
“……”
A long silence followed.
The one who broke the silence was Mary, who had been staring at the cube, unaware that her red hair had fallen forward.
“…Th-Then what about that guy, Adel?”
“……”
“You’re saying… he fought first and then ended up like that?”
“……”
“…You mean he got done in by demon worshippers and ended up like that?”
Breward did not answer.
“…Captain?”
He downed his drink in a single gulp and hurled the glass to the floor. Crash! The shards scattered through the air.
Unlike the whispers he had used until now, he spoke loudly.
“…All members of the White Ship. From this moment on, this is a special mission.”
Everyone straightened their posture.
“—Find Adel Bliss and execute him.”
A sudden order.
Yet the members of the White Ship squared their shoulders and nodded firmly.
“The target is a great demon. Do not let your guard down. And do not hesitate. He is no longer someone who might have become our comrade. He is merely a pitiful victim who has been devoured by a demon.”
Show no mercy.
That alone would be the bare minimum respect for the one who was sacrificed first—
“Effective immediately, I authorize full-scale use of force against Adel Bliss or anyone suspected of being a worshipper.”
“””…Yes!!”””
Their short and forceful reply echoed across the round table.
…The dim light of dawn was beginning to break.
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