“It’s this one.”
At Yukline’s mansion. Betan visited me with the whistleblower, who wore a mask that covered his face.
“He came to me from the desert….”
“Betan, you go first. If what he says is true, there is no time to delay.”
“…All right.”
“Your achievements will be passed onto Her Majesty as well.”
“Yes!”
Betan jumped up and saluted, walking outside. He had a smile on his face as he left.
“…”
Soon the attendants all left, and the drawing-room became calm. I took off the man’s mask with Psychokinesis.
“Ugh!”
White skin, long blonde hair, blue eyes. The face of an ordinary Imperial man with none of the characteristics of a Demon Blood. He was indistinguishable from any other one who might pass on the street.
“Your name.”
I asked quietly. He replied in a nervous tone.
“…I’m Lumenil.”
“Is that your real name?”
“Yes. It’s my real name.”
His voice trembled. On the other hand, his ears remained clear. He was telling the truth. I nodded.
“You said Primienne is a Demon Blood.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Based on what.”
“Lilia’s real name is Yurine. She is a Demon Blood from the same northern lands as me. We’ve known each other for fifteen years.”
“…”
I looked into his eyes and sneered.
“Are you betraying her after fifteen years?”
“…It’s not betrayal. There is no future for the Demon Blood now. Also, I do not have faith in the Demon Blood clan. So, shouldn’t I at least live?”
It was only then that Lumenil’s tension was relieved. He looked like he truly hated his race.
“I wasted ten years in the desert. As you said, the Demon Blood is garbage. You can’t trust anyone. The bastards.”
“…”
I was speechless for a moment. I blinked and watched him, noting the straining muscles around his neck.
“I wanted to leave as soon as possible. However, the desert base is hell. Once you enter, you cannot escape. That’s why I’ve been pretending to be faithful.”
Lumenil put a hand to his chest. Then, he produced a small capsule.
“This is a list of the Demon Blood and a map of the desert.”
He broke the capsule. A thick sheet of paper and a large map came out.
“Is that your talent?”
“Yes. I can miniaturize and store anything inside these capsules. First of all, this list is of the Demon Blood that has permeated the Empire. I was running out of time, and my authority is low, so I only transcribed 5,000 people, but isn’t the arrest of 5,000 people from the Demon Blood clan a huge achievement?”
I nodded. His face swelled with confidence.
“Yes. And, above all, this map. With this alone, you can break the entire Demon Blood clan. You can capture the Elder and kill him.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“…Just give me one island.”
At the sudden, bizarre request, my brow twisted. However, Lumenil continued to speak seriously.
“One island and about two hundred in attendance. I wish they were all women, but some pretty-looking guys are fine too. I’ll be satisfied if you give me enough Elnes to build a mansion there and spend the rest of my life in comfort. Oh, of course, keeping my identity secure.”
“…”
“Professor. Look at me. I don’t look like a Demon Blood. Also, a whistleblower like me should be treated well to destroy the Demon Blood as soon as possible. The fate of the clan? Tell them to fuck off. I am not a Demon Blood; I am a person who wants to live.”
…Was there anyone like this on the Named list? Or was he just a guy who desperately ran away to survive? He was frankly a new kind, so I smiled. It was the first time someone had made me laugh so purely.
“Haha.”
Lumenil’s face wasn’t pale anymore. He began to laugh too.
“Hahaha. Hahaha.”
“You’re funny.”
“Yes? Oh… oh~, hahahaha. Thank you, hahahahaha. These Demon Blood should be torn apart and killed. Hahahaha-!”
I moved the wood steel while watching him laugh.
* * *
Office of the Deputy Chief of Public Security. Primienne gently rolled the curtains down the window. Many people were standing in the shadows outside.
“…Hmm.”
Was it time?
Primienne calmly organized herself. There wasn’t much to take. Deeds of stocks and bonds, cash, documents containing the agency’s secrets. She put everything in her bag. From now on, she just had to move on as she had rehearsed.
Primienne wasn’t stupid. As a Demon Blood, it was natural to be prepared.
“…”
Of course, she was feeling down. She wasted a little more time because of that. Primienne looked out the window again, capturing the scenery of the vast islands.
“…Can’t we live together?”
The most fundamental question arose. The island was a good city. For Primienne, who hated the cold and preferred convenience, and even for the Demon Blood, who were still dying in the desert or concentration camps, the island was a beautiful place to live.
There were jobs where they could earn a lot of money, horse racing, and lottery tickets. If they had a healthy body, they could become a soldier, or if they were smart, they could take the civil service exam. Primienne liked that island, and the Empire was good too. The earth had no sin.
Just the people.
“…”
She picked up the bag, put on a coat, then, with her magic, she lifted the floor up.
Click-
A passage appeared under the opening tiles. It was a vent that led to behind the security office. After pouring mana into it, she climbed down.
Swiiish—
In seconds she reached the garden behind the office. Primienne stood up, dusted off her briefcase, and lifted a manhole cover that led into the sewer.
“…Whew.”
Before climbing down, Primienne looked up at the Security Bureau building again. She took a big breath of the Empire’s air.
“Goodbye. I don’t even want to live here anymore.”
The continent had yet to accept the Demon Blood. It might be quite natural. Right now, there wasn’t even a way to distinguish the Demon Blood from the Altar. The demonic terrorism throughout the Empire was attributed to the Demon Blood’s sins, and Primienne knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the flow of history.
No one could, not with Emperor Sophien’s mandate being the annihilation of the Demon Blood clan.
“Fuck.”
As soon as she descended into the sewer, Primienne cursed. The smell was terrible. She quickly covered her nose.
Stomp- Stomp-
The sound of her footsteps echoed loudly around her, but the sounds from above were louder.
—Primienne! Where did you go, Primienne?!
—Please tell me what’s going on first.
—Tell you what, I’m asking where she went! I am from the Royal Guard, Betan! Get out of the way, these filthy, Demon Blood bastards…
Was it a raid on the security bureau? Primienne shook her head and walked down the sewer.
Stomp- Stomp-
The point she promised on with Elesol wasn’t far from here. A compatriot who prepared her a new identity would be waiting there. Running away from here to the desert was just stupid. Rather, Primienne was planning to start again with a new identity, this time in a port city…
“Hmm?”
On the other side of the sewer, a silhouette stood out under the hazy darkness. Primienne called out as she approached.
“Did you arrive early?”
There was no answer. But at first glance, the face was familiar.
“Hey, Lumenil.”
Lumenil, one of the few Demon Blood compatriots who Primienne knew. Primienne asked, approaching.
“Where are the items…”
As she spoke, Lumenil collapsed. He toppled over like a rotted piece of wood.
“…”
Primienne confirmed Lumenil’s condition. Pale color, stiff flesh, eyes that were red to the point of bursting. Lumenil was already dead, and not recently either.
“…Who’s there?”
Primienne warmed up her mana and stared into the dark. Then-
The clinking of heels and a luxurious scent reached her. The smell of the sewer disappeared in an instant.
“…”
Primienne stiffened as she stared forward.
“Primienne.”
Calling her name, he was the enemy of the Demon Blood. The head of Yukline, the children of the desert, feared him more than tigers or scorpions. Deculein.
“Where are you going?”
A voice like a frost. Primienne watched him with indifferent eyes as he asked calmly.
“Didn’t you hear me? Where are you going?”
“…”
Primienne’s eyes sank to Lumenil, the messenger from the desert. She had known him for fifteen years.
“Oh, you mean this guy?”
Deculein, following those eyes, twisted his lips into a sneer. Then, he shook his head.
“He said some strange things to me.”
He took one step forward. A drop of sweat beaded down Primienne’s forehead.
“That you, Primienne, are a Demon Blood.”
“…”
“The one who reported that to Betan was… Lumenil.”
Deculein kicked his corpse with loathing in his eyes. Although she didn’t show it, Primienne’s heart was pounding as if it were about to explode.
“He asked for an island in return. He said that if I gave him hundreds of maids, servants, and treasures of gold and silver with that one island, he would reveal the list with five thousand Demon Blood names and the location of their desert base.”
He looked to Primienne again. Primienne met his eyes, swallowing back fear.
“…But why did you refuse?”
“I did not refuse.”
“…”
At that moment, a weight pressed down on Primienne’s chest as Deculein produced a list from his pocket.
“I heard there are five thousand Demon Blood right here.”
Tap-
He casually threw the list away.
“And. This is the map.”
Swoosh-
This time he threw it to her. Primienne studied the contents carefully. It was an early blueprint that documented both the internal structure and entrance of the underground desert. Primienne clenched her fists.
…Lumenil, that damn bastard.
“Why are you showing me this?”
Primienne managed to keep a hold of her carefree expression. However, her eyes were trembling.
“Primienne. I may or may not believe that you are a Demon Blood.”
However, the Professor’s words were quite strange.
“I may have known in advance that you were a Demon Blood, or I may not have known yet.”
Stomp- Stomp-
He approached and tapped his wand against her shoulder.
“Primienne. My purpose isn’t the Demon Blood. The continent isn’t going to get any better by killing a few people living like ants in the desert.”
“…”
Primienne slowly raised her head. Like a crystal in the night sky, the darker it grew, the brighter his blue eyes shone. He offered her a deep smile.
“I also don’t want the Demon Blood to be annihilated.”
“…Politics.”
At that moment, Primienne realized-
“Is it because of politics?”
The meaning behind the ambiguous actions that Deculein had shown her so far.
“If the Demon Bloods are eradicated, it will no longer be possible to strengthen your position using them as an excuse. The Demon Blood clan is a necessary evil for you… it is a means that must exist.”
Deculein gave no answer or reaction. However, Primienne felt a brilliance that rose from the inside of her heart. She had goosebumps prickling all over her body.
“Have you always wanted that?”
From the beginning until now, did Deculein anticipate all of this? From the moment he set out to annihilate the Demon Blood, did he foresee a future that would devour the Empire? No, still, did he design it to be like that?
“…I see that you’re very intelligent.”
“…I’ll leave that list and map to you.”
Deculein lightly ignored her question.
“Primienne. Now it is your choice.”
“…”
Primienne looked at the two papers without saying a word. She was contemplating what she would do next.
…She had nothing to worry about.
Whoosh—!
She burned the map and copied the list with her talent.
“…It is the list.”
The original list was placed in her pocket, and the duplicate was returned to Deculein.
“Take it. The content is blank.”
Worse than worst. However, at this moment, Deculein was the lesser evil that must be grasped.
“Now, whatever name you put in it, it’s up to you, Professor.”
Deculein smirked as he accepted the list.
“Primienne. I like your cleverness.”
“…Yes. Then, I’ll be going.”
Now the job was done. Knowing Deculein’s goals, it would be the right thing to leave the Empire completely…
Deculein caught Primienne as she walked away.
“Where are you going?”
“…”
Primienne looked back at Deculein silently. As expected, he didn’t mean to let her go that easily. The mistaken Primienne readied her mana, but Deculein continued with a grin.
“You are still the Deputy Chief of Public Security.”
“…?”
“Also, I need you for the Voice. Come with me.”
Come with me? Primienne felt dizzy.
* * *
…Meanwhile, Hadekain’s mansion was filled with adventurers. All of them wanted to participate in Deculein’s Trial.
“When will it start?!”
But they had been waiting for almost a week, so even Lia was agitated. For adventurers, time was money.
“If not, I want him to return my ID right away!”
Lia shouted, banging on the iron door to Hadekain’s mansion. Some adventurers chimed up in agreement.
“You’re so cute. Lia is cute when she gets angry.”
Ganesha muttered with joy.
Whoong—
Finally, the iron door opened. Lia crossed her arms with her cheeks puffed and leaned on one foot. Beyond the opening, a butler bowed to the hundreds of adventurers assembled.
“Sorry for being late. Come in. We will start the test soon. But before that, there’s going to be a dinner party-“
—Dinner party, my ass! Just let us take it!
The adventurers shouted, but at the words that followed, they were dumbfounded.
“The head of the family will also attend, so please be patient.”
“…”
They grew very quiet. After all, that meant Professor Deculein would show up.
Ahem-! Ahem-!
The adventurers let out dissatisfied coughs but filed inside the mansion without any further complaint.
