The audience, who had been merely watching the unfolding events, gasped as a wave of realization spread through them.
I could understand why. The nobles, devout followers of the Holy Church, had personally witnessed her character and acknowledged her as the “Saint,” worshipping her accordingly, despite the influence of some strange power.
That’s why they noticed. The “something else” that had replaced the Saint’s true self.
“Eh? What was I doooooing?”
Her head tilted so far to the side it looked like it would snap, her right and left eyes moving as if looking at different things. Colette, the white-clad maid, whispered softly beside her, “The Contract Holder will find ‘happiness.'”
“—That’s right! I will be happy!”
Crack…
In response to those words, she twisted her bent neck, forcing her face forward, the joints of her neck screaming in protest with a sickening sound.
“I, ha, ha, haaa—get out of meeeeee!”
Suddenly, she screamed, her pupils darting wildly. For a moment, her eyes seemed to regain their sanity, but then they rolled back, and the next moment, she burst into shrill laughter again.
“Kyahahahahahahaha! That’s right! ‘I’ will be the Heroine!”
Amidst the utterly bizarre scene, the “something” that had become her looked around and screamed the name of “me” that she found,
“Aliciaaaaaaa!”
This voice filled with madness… Seeing that expression filled with obsession, I understood the “identity” that had entered her.
“…’That woman,’ is it?”
Long ago, when I was a naive child, that woman with the memories of a previous life tried to take my place after I escaped from the Orphanage.
I gained fragmented knowledge when my blood touched the “Magic Stone” that sealed that woman’s memories. Even so, the “knowledge” that flowed into me was only the knowledge that woman had gained in this world, and the “essence” that she was obsessed with was not affected because I unconsciously rejected it.
I crushed that Magic Stone as much as possible, but even though the surface was brittle, the core was solid and could not be crushed, so I had no choice but to throw it into the sewer.
I thought it would eventually weather away if I didn’t touch the wound. But… now that I think about it, the brittle part was probably the part where I gained knowledge. That part had finished its role. The remaining core was the part where that woman’s essence was recorded, and someone (..) with a matching wavelength picked it up, without it weathering away.
“Seize that woman!”
“Everyone, evacuate from this place immediately!”
Margrave Dandole, the commander of the Knight Order, raised his voice, and as His Majesty the King had decided in advance, he ordered the graduates and general guests to evacuate.
At that voice, the security knights, who had been deployed in larger numbers than usual for this occasion, rushed forward.
“Don’t approach carelessly!”
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but stop them. That woman was strange, but that Colette was clearly abnormal as well. Aside from her hair turning white, her very presence no longer felt like that of a “person.”
“Aria!”
Seeing my reaction, Elena ordered me, her bodyguard, to resolve the situation. But before I could move, someone else acted.
“—Flame Javelin—”
“!?”
The fire Magic was released from almost directly behind me, and I pushed Elena, who was next to me, down as if to shield her.
“Carla!”
“Fufu.”
Carla laughed at my shout, and the Flame Javelin she released flew through the venue, hitting Colette, who had shielded that woman, directly.
Dooooom!
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Flames and heat scattered. The nobles, who were ordinary guests and had regained their senses, screamed and fled in panic because an offensive Magic that could kill people had been unleashed in such a place, and the knights who had been caught in the aftermath of the flames at close range rolled around on the floor.
“How cruel…”
Colette, who had blocked the flames with her left arm, turned her dark eyes towards Carla while creating a new arm out of threadworms to replace her charred arm. Carla also floated lightly in the air, smiling as if looking down at Colette from the high ceiling, which was about three stories high.
That ability is the same as Amor’s power? If so, then she is—.
“You’re a ‘demon’…”
Carla’s clear voice flowed smoothly through the chaotic venue. Those who heard it stopped for a moment, and those who understood its meaning widened their eyes.
For the past year or so, the Royal Capital had been frightened by the threat of demons. But there was someone who could defeat them, and the Holy Church put the Saint forward, so people were not crushed by anxiety.
But it was that Saint who had invited the demon into the Royal Capital… into the castle.
Colette is a demon? The Adventurer girl I met in that town… I lost sight of her along the way, but was she a demon from the beginning?
“Magician Order, forward! Suppress it!”
At that moment, a voice rang out, and the head court Magician—Count Leicester—gave instructions to his subordinates.
“It doesn’t matter if you involve my daughter!”
At those heartless words, the Magicians did not hesitate and fired offensive Magic of water and wind, involving Carla as well.
Colette still held that woman, who was acting strangely, and jumped down, while Carla deflected the Magic with a wind barrier.
“…Father, what does this mean?”
“Hmph. I can’t believe you’re saying such a thing, after trying to involve Princess (Your Highness). You can die as a cornerstone of the Royal Family. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Count Leicester, her father, spat out his feelings of hatred as he narrowed his eyes and questioned Carla.
“Stop it! Count Leicester and Miss Carla, this is not the time to be fighting!”
At that moment, His Majesty the King, who had come forward to protect Elena and me, who were lying on the floor, raised his voice and tried to stop the father and daughter.
But—
“I will be free to do as I please. Since all the ‘actors’ are here.”
Carla spoke leisurely, turning her eyes, which had been directed at her father and His Majesty, back to Colette.
“Are you okay with that? You don’t need a ‘supporting role’ either?”
What do those words mean? Hearing them, Colette smiled crookedly and spoke to the woman beside her.
“Contract Holder… there is someone who is trying to steal your happiness. Is that okay?”
At that moment, the movements of the woman, who had been repeating strange words and actions, stopped, and she moved her eyeballs around as if to reflect Colette in her cloudy eyes.
“No! No, no, no, no, kill Carla! Give me Alicia! I am the one who will become the Queen of this country!”
Hearing the woman’s words as she foamed at the mouth, Colette smiled broadly.
“—As you wish—”
The next moment, a huge amount of Mana and Miasma overflowed from Colette, and the life force was lost from the girl that woman had possessed.
No, it’s not life that’s disappearing. What’s being consumed is the “soul” of the girl who was the base.
“――――――――――――――――――――――――――――ッ!!”
Colette let out a scream that no human could hear, and the decorative stained glass windows that covered one wall shattered. The fragments rained down on the ordinary guests who were too late to escape, and from the building visible beyond the window, which had become a scene of carnage, a chaotic Magic was rising.
With a crack, something cracked in the distance—
“—I’ll help you.”
Carla fired multiple Fireballs towards it.
Several Fireballs flew as if cutting through the night sky, engulfing the roof of the building in flames.
Dooooooom!
An explosion echoed from afar, and the ordinary guests who were still safe raised voices like screams as they looked in that direction.
“The Temple!?”
In that direction was the Holy Church’s Temple. And on top of that roof was…
“Amor…”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
A scream could be heard from the direction of the Temple. No, a beast’s roar that was not human echoed, and a huge humanoid figure began to move from within the burning flames.
Amor was defeated by Carla on top of the Temple. The remains were frozen without melting, but Carla only froze it and did not finish it off, and the demons were trying to use it?
But that’s not Amor anymore. It’s just a monster with Amor’s Magic Stone left behind. As proof of that, that Worm monster was not coming here, but jumped off the roof of the Temple and began attacking the residents.
“Aria, go! Don’t worry about us!”
“…Understood.”
After confirming that the Royal Knights were surrounding the Royal Family, I nodded to Elena and jumped out from beside her.
First, I need to stop Colette, but I can’t just leave Amor alone either. Dolton and the others are on standby in case of unforeseen circumstances, but I don’t know how many residents will be sacrificed before my companions arrive.
“Tch!”
However, someone attacked me, stopping me from rushing out.
“Aliciaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
That woman! The original girl, “Licia,” should have had low physical abilities, and her Mana Capacity should have been so low that it was barely noticeable, but her attack was sharp enough to stop my movements.
[Name Unknown] [Race: Human Female] [Rank: –]
[Mana Capacity: 542/0] [HP: 120/173]
[Overall Combat Strength: — (Body Enhancement in progress: –)]
Her base Mana Capacity is 0? But she has Mana… Did the Faceless Devil store Mana in that Magic Stone? I don’t know her combat strength, but she’s performing Body Enhancement that ignores the limits of her body, and her bones are creaking and blood is spurting out from just a slight movement.
“Where do you think you’re going, Aria-san?”
Floating directly behind her was the one controlling her.
“Colette!”
The Faceless Devil wearing Colette’s skin smiled at me with the exact same face as when we met in that town, not an inch different.
“…Were you a Faceless Devil from the start?”
“Fufu… Thank you for dealing with the ‘children’.”
The smile she showed was full of compassion that didn’t seem like a Faceless Devil… yet it was overflowing with devilish madness.
This is what’s terrifying about Faceless Devils. The terror of Faceless Devils isn’t their strength or cruelty.
Even weak Faceless Devils don’t fear their own destruction, find joy in the destruction of their comrades, betray everything for pleasure, and would even cheer for their own demise.
Colette was a Faceless Devil from the beginning. I don’t know where she switched, but she was already a Faceless Devil when I met her.
From her mimicry ability and the way she treated the Bone Faceless Devil and the Faceless Devil as children, I can infer that this Faceless Devil is older than those two.
“It’s not fair to play by yourselves.”
At that moment, a radial flame swept through, engulfing the venue behind Colette, who dodged, and the people who were too late to escape.
“–Black-haired… woman!”
“Play with me too.”
Colette, annoyed by the interruption, released a Mana Blade, and Carla countered with Digvolt, the aftershocks of Mana raging.
“Aliciaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Even during that, that woman was screaming as she attacked.
I took out Hidden Weapons from my Shadow Storage and slashed at her arms and neck, but the Worms filled the wounds, preventing them from being fatal.
Did Colette’s ability change Amor too…? If Colette was the one behind the “Nightmare” in that town, then the Worms are the cause of controlling the dead and creating Undead with nightmares.
“Give it to me, give me you! I’ll be the happiest!”
“Tch.”
Her muscles are tearing and her bones are breaking from the excessive use of her body. Her movements are fast, but it’s still just physical ability. But at this rate, I won’t be able to stop Amor either.
The moment I felt impatient, a powerful presence and Killing Intent erupted from under my feet.
“Gaaaaaaah!”
A black giant jumped out from my Shadow, and its claws blew that woman away.
“Nero!”
Nero had been lurking in my Shadow, but he didn’t try to get involved in the conflict between people. Nero is there to protect me, not to protect people.
But the reason Nero showed himself is…
“Gaa…”
Nero looked outside the castle. In that direction was the burning Holy Church’s Temple, and the screams of people could still be heard.
Did he understand my intentions, or was it to settle things with the “prey (Amor)” he had let escape once?
“I’ll leave it to you, Nero.”
–End–
Nero, leaving those words behind, jumped out of the destroyed window, heading towards the Temple, and I watched him go with my eyes.
“Ouch!”
That woman, blown away by Nero, stood up in her blood-soaked dress. Her chest was roughly torn by Nero’s claws, but the Worms filled the wound, closing it up.
“Aliciaaaaaaaa, I finally found you! I’m going to become you! So I can be happy, n-n-n-n-n-n-n–”
The face that had been smiling madly when she found me changed as if it were broken from the impact of the attack, and when her swirling eyes looked at me, a single tear flowed from one eye where the madness had disappeared.
“…”
Is there still some of “Licia’s” heart left?
Perhaps the woman’s soul wasn’t originally left behind, but rather the memory of that woman’s obsession is just overwriting Licia’s soul.
Even so, as expected, the “Magic Stone” as a substance cannot perfectly seal memories and thoughts, and I could feel the soul suffering from the half-applied obsession.
“…I understand.”
I have no obligation to show you mercy. If you picked up that Magic Stone and used its “knowledge,” then I, who also gained knowledge from the same Magic Stone, can understand. What you’ve done so far wasn’t being manipulated by the Magic Stone, but your own will.
I have no obligation to save you. But… I also owe that woman a debt.
I untied the right side of the asymmetrical black dress, which had a ribbon, and held the Knife and Dagger tied to my freed right leg.
There’s no mercy. But–
“I’ll kill you.”
The subtitle for this chapter is “Obsession.”
Thank you to everyone who gave me ideas!
Next time, Aria and the source of the problem… I’ll think of the title later lol.
Volume 3 of the book and Volume 1 of the comic are both selling well, thank you!