What kind of evil act had Theo committed while I was asleep? To take a guess at that, I needed to retrace the day from the very start.
Theo and I set out for the plaza early in the morning. It was still early, but the plaza on market day was already buzzing. Merchants’ ringing calls flew back and forth on all sides, and beneath the tents fruit and bread and textiles and trinkets were laid out packed close together. Excited children ran here and there, and the adults were busy picking things up and haggling over prices.
A stall selling flowers caught my eye. Among the many colored blooms, the red roses stood out especially. The moment I saw them, the custom of gifting roses on the day one comes of age came to mind. A special flower for a special day. I picked out the prettiest, freshest bouquet and put it into Theo’s arms.
“A gift. Congratulations on becoming an adult.”
Theo’s face turned as red as the roses I’d bought. He hugged the bouquet tightly and beamed.
“Thank you.”
But the smile lasted only a moment. Whatever thought had struck him, his eyes drooped at the corners.
“Isn’t there something like a spell that keeps flowers from wilting? You gave these to me, Rihen... The thought that they’ll wither someday already hurts.”
The Saint “Rihen” could probably manage it easily enough. He was a legendary healer, someone capable of even reviving the dead. Of course, that miracle of resurrection couldn’t be granted to just any departed soul, and it came with strict conditions. Still, keeping a flower fresh would be nothing to him. But an ability like that was out of reach for ordinary people, and even more so for demons.
I coaxed Theo gently.
“You already went and made a bouquet of them, didn’t you? So what if they wilt? Slip them between the pages of a book and you’ll get a pretty pressed flower you can keep for a long time.”
At that, Theo’s expression brightened again. He drew in the scent of the roses and smiled.
That was when it happened. The bustling atmosphere of the market sank in an instant. The merchants’ calls broke off, and the children’s laughter faded. A group in white robes and white masks was entering the plaza under a knight escort. Inquisitors.
They always dressed like that. Clothing that hid not only faces but even body shapes, letting no easy guess be made. There had been a time when the inquisitors ferreted out heretics and interrogated demons with their identities on full display. But the price had been harsh. Captured demons had ambushed the inquisitors and butchered them in acts of revenge.
Inquisitors were skilled at extracting information, but purely in terms of combat power they were far weaker than demons. The moment they were ambushed, there was no way to resist. After that incident, every last inquisitor took to hiding their face to escape a demon’s revenge.
Among these people cloaked all in white, there was one who stood out. The only man who wore no mask, Inquisitor Khalid. His robe wasn’t drawn over his head, so his jet-black hair was fully exposed. Like the Saint Rihen, his irises were in the blue range, but the impression was completely different. Where Rihen’s pale blue was like a bright, clear sky, Khalid’s eyes were far deeper, more intense. It looked as though a blue flame flickered inside them.
He commanded not only techniques of torture but the combat skill to match. When it came to taking demons alive and drawing information out of them, no one could match him. Above all, Khalid was special because he didn’t fear demons and let his face be seen. His existence itself was humanity’s hope.
The inquisitors began plastering notices on every wall of the plaza. Without anyone leading the way, people crowded in to look.
The papers carried the image of the wanted man. Strangely, the face was absent and only the clothing had been drawn. A black uniform and cloak, and that distinctive red pendant. It was me in my corps commander form. Below the portrait was written:
〈WANTED〉 Thirteenth Corps Commander Shane To anyone who provides meaningful information about this individual’s whereabouts or movements, or who contributes directly or indirectly to his capture, a reward of up to 2,000 gold coins shall be paid, according to the degree of merit. Reports are to be submitted through your local temple or inquisitorial office.
People stood in front of the notices and murmured.
“Shane? The Thirteenth Corps Commander’s name was Shane?”
“And how did they find out the name?”
How else would they have found out? It was obvious. They’d wrung it out of captured demons by questioning them about the Thirteenth Corps Commander. With torture, no less.
“Listen well, all of you!”
Above the noise of the plaza, a clear voice cut through. It was Khalid. He stepped one pace forward and pulled every eye to him at once. The air of the marketplace drew tight. Khalid glanced at the notices once, then opened his mouth.
“The Thirteenth Corps Commander, Shane. This man commands no troops and moves alone. Though it hasn’t been long since he assumed the position, he has already dealt our empire tremendous damage.”
A low sigh went through the crowd.
“Destruction of a divine statue, arson of a temple, and most recently he has rendered half the holy knights’ weaponry unusable. There are certainly many more crimes he has committed out of sight. This was not done on impulse. He is an exceedingly meticulous, and dangerous, being.”
The plaza went quiet. Taking advantage of the pause, in which even the sound of breathing dropped away, he delivered his last words.
“As an inquisitor, and as a subject who fervently wishes for peace in this empire, I make this declaration. The Thirteenth Corps Commander, Shane, must be put down without fail.”
He drew his sword and pointed the tip straight at the Shane in the notices.
“To anyone who makes a decisive contribution to the capture or elimination of this individual, a reward of up to two thousand gold coins shall be paid. Furthermore, should the contribution be judged sufficient, we are prepared to bestow a decoration as well.”
When his speech-like address ended, applause broke out. The citizens clapped as one, packed with respect and hope. I mixed in among them and clapped harder than anyone.
Khalid was one of the playable characters you could choose in the good faction. Not quite as often as Rihen, but he was a character I used often enough for my hands to know. Seeing a man I’d controlled through a screen this close in the flesh brought back memories.
Apparently a smile had spread across my face without my noticing. Theo poked me in the side and asked,
“Rihen, do you like Khalid?”
“Hm?”
“You look so happy that I thought maybe you liked him. I mean, in the sense of respect.”
“Of course. In terms of skill and record, he’s the top inquisitor in all of the empire’s history. There probably isn’t a person who doesn’t like Khalid.”
As I spoke I felt oddly conflicted. The problem was that this strong, admirable inquisitor was sharpening his blade to catch me. When I’d watched demons get tortured by Khalid in the game, all I’d felt was satisfaction, but now that I imagined myself being the one strapped to the interrogation chair, my whole body ran cold with shivers. Not good. I’ve got to gather points and dutifully raise my Stealth level first.
Theo looked at the notices and changed the subject.
“Two thousand gold coins would let you live off it for the rest of your life, Rihen. Without ever having to work.”
For a second my heart dropped. I gripped Theo’s hand tightly.
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of catching Shane? Don’t even dream of it. Khalid said it too. That man is dangerous. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
The words came out rough. Theo’s eyes widened, and then he burst out laughing softly. Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t meant anything by it. I felt a little embarrassed for having jumped ahead with worry.
“Thanks for worrying about me, Rihen. I just said it. How could I possibly catch a corps commander?”
He didn’t let go of my hand, and he continued in a serious tone.
“I don’t need honor or gold and treasures. Living here happily with just you, Rihen, is much better.”
That confession lingered in my ears a long time.
But that can’t be how it goes. Because Theo was a hero. In no time at all he’d have to take up his sword and throw himself into the middle of a battlefield. The day when I, standing there in my corps commander’s form, and he, in his role as the hero, would meet as enemies... would surely come sometime. Perhaps I was raising the beast that would devour me. For the sake of humanity.
Still, I hoped that the day Theo turned his blade on me would come as late as possible. If I dodged well enough, wouldn’t we simply never meet on the battlefield? I let myself imagine that, somewhat hopefully.
The moment we got home Theo put the roses in a vase. Red petals stood out vividly against the white porcelain. His face, as he looked at them, wore an unhidden satisfaction.
Then we prepared lunch. I made the food in the kitchen, and Theo wiped the table and set the dishes out. Then he loitered by the kitchen looking for something to do and stuck close to me, helping with this and that.
After the meal he took up his sword. He warmed up lightly in a corner of the yard and repeated the basic forms again and again. There was already strength in each of Theo’s movements, so even simple motions carried real threat. Practice ended around when sweat had beaded on his forehead.
Next came reading time. Theo opened the antique volume I’d bought him. It was an encyclopedia on the ecology of monsters. Whenever he had a question, Theo asked right away, and as a hardened game veteran I could answer nearly all of them.
“Thank you, Rihen. You’re the best teacher.”
He toyed with the back of my hand and smiled bashfully.
While we enjoyed our small, quiet time like that, the time for Theo to leave for work snuck up on us. He set out for Madam Cecile’s tavern, and I was left alone in the house. Once the door shut and his footsteps faded, the house went completely still.
That was when the communication orb vibrated. For a while now I’d been threading the orb onto a chain and wearing it like a bracelet. If I kept it in a pocket there was a chance of losing it, and it was inconvenient to fish out when the situation was urgent. When I brushed the orb with a finger, the surface glowed softly, and a familiar face surfaced. Kairos.
“Terribly difficult to lay eyes on you these days. You do know there’s a meeting today, don’t you? Don’t tell me you intend to skip every regular meeting.”
He was starting up with his manufactured grievances again. He had never told me any meeting date to begin with, nor had he any intention of formally including me, and yet here he was talking as if I were at fault. Of course I had no right to argue back. I folded my hands politely.
“Then... should I head to the demon realm now?”
Kairos nodded.
“Yes. This instant.”
That one line settled everything. I mustered my mana with all I had to open a gate.
I set foot in the demon realm for the first time in a while. I stood before the circular meeting hall built of black stone. The place where the corps commanders gathered to discuss war and destruction, the “Black Council Hall.” At the center of the round table, a dark flame that would never go out burned steadily.
The meeting had already ended. Of the twelve chairs arranged in a circle, eleven were empty. And my seat, the thirteenth, had never existed to begin with.
You bastards. This is just workplace harassment.
“You’re late.”
Kairos rose leisurely. I didn’t voice the fact that it wasn’t me who was late, but that he had deliberately called me late. He wasn’t the sort of person you could say something like that to.
“I’ll share the results of the meeting. It concerns you, too. We’ve decided to give you a new assignment.”
“What is it?”
“That inquisitor who doesn’t know his place, Khalid. Slaughter his family.”
Kairos spat out the word “slaughter” far too lightly.
It was the worst order I’d received since possession. And an assignment that hadn’t even existed in the original game. I had no idea what butterfly effect had produced a mission like this.
Wiping out a family. Horrifying. On top of that, Khalid’s little sister Camilla was the Saint Rihen’s childhood friend. The most beloved cleric of Ceres, Goddess of Abundance, Camilla. When I played as Rihen in the game, she was a character who had helped me in a great many ways. Since dropping into this world, I hadn’t met her even once. I didn’t want our reunion to happen with murder as the purpose.
Even if Camilla weren’t the target and it were some stranger with no ties to me, it would be the same. An order to slaughter the innocent was one I absolutely could not follow. But openly resisting here was also a problem. The only method left was to wear the mask of reason and persuade Kairos.
“Killing the entire family doesn’t seem like a very good idea. The Khalid I know isn’t the kind of man who lays everything down because his family died. If anything, he’ll go blazing-eyed for revenge and get more blood on his hands.”
I put words like death on my lips without hesitation. Hoping my argument would sound sufficiently rational.
“In the end, rather than bringing down the enemy, it looks like we’d be waking him up. Is that the ending you want?”
