Chapter 75

"Kyaaaaaah!? Gugyaaaaah!?"

Turning around in surprise...

The one screaming was the councilor Recoris, drenched in a filthy, murky sludge... no, rather, entangled by it.

"Hegyagoo!?"

It happened in an instant.

The sludge, which should have been nothing more than a viscous liquid, caught Recoris with a constricting force like that of a giant serpent, and we witnessed it crush him.

There was no time to stop it, it happened so quickly.

A definite dull sound, *Gogit*, echoed.

It was the sound of Recoris's neck bone snapping.

"You!?"

*Pubepepepepepepe!? I killed, I killed! I killed the human as ordered by the Demon God! I killed the human as ordered by the Demon God!!*

That mass of sludge was one of the three demons.

Most likely, it was the one with the ability to transform its body into a liquid state.

We thought it had fled in fear of us.

"You bastard!"

*Pube!*

I closed the distance in an instant and with one strike, scattered and annihilated its body.

It didn't matter that its body was in a liquid state.

My punch carried the power of a being at the level of eight million.

It would work regardless of whether the opponent was liquid, gas, or even an illusion.

*Demon God, Demon God! What is it? I have successfully completed the mission! I have carried out your command! Praise me, praise me! And save meeeeee!!*

The demon, whose body and mind were as murky and viscous as sludge, called out to the transcendent being that controlled it as it vanished.

"...Damn it, what a blunder!"

I let Recoris die due to my carelessness.

That sludge demon had pretended to flee, remaining in a liquid state underground, waiting for the opportunity to kill Recoris when our attention was diverted.

*Compassion was unnecessary! You should have killed your enemies as soon as you found them! Hahahahahaha!!*

Laughing triumphantly was the last demon, Senitans, who was restrained by the demonic mist.

*Indeed, as you deduced, the Demon God commanded us to eliminate specific humans! Especially that Recoris, we were ordered to eliminate him at all costs, even at the cost of our lives!*

"Even at the cost of your own life...!?"

*Of course...! To us demons, the Demon God is a god-like, absolute existence! Disobeying his will or failing to carry out his commands means our lives are forfeit! That's why we had to execute the mission with all our might!*

Senitans's tone suggested a desperate, all-or-nothing attitude.

Despite their pretense of being transcendent beings, they were acutely aware of their own insignificance before an even greater existence.

*The mission is complete! We were ordered to kill Recoris, one of the two targets, no matter what! Well done, Debedoriza! The Demon God will surely be pleased with our divine guidance!*

Surrounded by my and Abinion's overwhelming power, Senitans could neither fight nor flee, and was awaiting death.

In that moment, his eyes, filled with madness, sought solace in the fact that he had accomplished his mission.

*Go ahead and kill me! Now that the mission is complete, our existence has no meaning! Our souls will be picked up by the Demon God and reborn as even more powerful demons! Hahahahaha!!*

*The Demon God has no such ability. You've been thoroughly deceived.*

I'm an idiot.

Despite being at a level far beyond theirs, I was outsmarted so easily.

No matter how strong you are, if you can't turn it into results, it's the same as having no power at all.

*...Well, there's no need to be so regretful. Such a bald man wasn't worth protecting. That's why he was left out of your consciousness. If the target had been someone like Noem, you would have reacted as quickly as lightning and prevented it.*

"But I still had questions for Recoris...!"

The attack by the Demon God Okeanos, which put the Kingdom of Rubrum in a state of existential crisis.

It was undoubtedly Recoris who handed the Nereus larva to Soaides, which triggered the attack.

However, it was also certain that he was not the root cause of the disaster.

He lacked the ability to outsmart the Demon God and kidnap an important daughter.

Therefore, there must have been a mastermind behind the plot.

Recoris was merely an intermediary to carry out the plan.

He was the only clue to uncover the mastermind...!

*Considering the situation, the purpose of killing this bald man was to silence him. He knew things that would cause trouble if spoken. That's why the demons were driven to eliminate him to prevent him from revealing those secrets.*

Please don't keep calling him bald.

Indeed, Abinion might be right.

Even as a councilor of the Adventurers' Guild, it's hard to think of any reason why he would be specifically targeted by demons who consider humans far beneath them.

However, now that he has been successfully eliminated and has become a dead man who can't speak, the opportunity to extract crucial information is lost forever.

All because of my incompetence...!?

*Don't be so disheartened. I am here to assist the Master.*

"Huh?"

*The purpose of my existence as a servant is to assist the Master. Did you think I, a Demon God, couldn't grasp the actions of mere demons? If I had been more attentive, I could have easily prevented their surprise attack.*

But you were outsmarted by the demons and let Recoris be killed.

What are you being so arrogant about...?

*The only value of this bald man was the information etched in his mind. His mind and body were worthless. Therefore, it didn't matter if he was killed. As long as there was a way to extract the information even after death.*

Abinion snapped her slender fingers.

In response, a smoke-like substance rose from Recoris's lifeless body.

The smoke gathered and formed a shape...

A translucent human form appeared.

More specifically, the form of Recoris in life...!?

"Recoris's... spirit!?"

*It's a ghost. With my ability <Spirit Manipulation>, I can turn the recently deceased into ghosts and extract all the information they know.*

So, we can freely extract the information he knows?

He's not a dead man who can't speak!?

*In fact, as a ghost, it will be even easier to make him talk, as it will be in absolute obedience to me. Now, poor bald spirit, if you want to rest in peace, reveal what we want to know first.*

The demons and the Demon God who gave them orders never expected that the target would be killed to extract information.

Their mission was accomplished, but it was meaningless.

*Where did you get the Nereus larva? No, who gave it to you? I know you weren't the mastermind behind the plot.*

*That bottle...*

The ghost of Recoris began to speak in the same voice as in life.

However, there was no sign of life. It seemed to be a mere device for vocalizing the information it had when it was alive.

*That bottle...*

"The bottle... Indeed, the Nereus larva was contained in a glass bottle...!?"

*From... Cardinal Agamandes of the Church...*

!?

Everyone present was stunned by the unexpected name.

"The Church... Could it be...!?"

An organization that has often been mentioned in human society.

The Church, which grants skills to people and even possesses a trump card against demons in the form of a hero, holds significant authority in human society.

"Cardinal... Is that a high-ranking official in the Church?"

"Second only to the Pope. Essentially, the number two in the Church. When the current Pope steps down, the successor is chosen from among the cardinals...!"

This explanation was provided by Councilor Bistemario.

A truly important person whom I rushed to save.

"For such a big name to come up... Indeed, Councilor Recoris had many acquaintances in the Church and a strong connection. At the same time, he was influenced by the Church's skill-centric ideology and brought it into the management of the Adventurers' Guild, which is why his reputation was poor."

Councilor Recoris.

Indeed, during the audience with King Centaurian, he had said things like, "I can put in a good word for you with the Church."

"But if this is true...!"

"It means that the Church is the root cause of all the disasters...!?"

The organization that stands at the forefront to protect the world against demons, using a hero, was actually trying to threaten the world?

*It's not just that.*

Abinion said, her beautiful face showing a cruel disdain for others.

*Think about it. Why would they want to hide such information, to the point of driving demons to silence Recoris? We just found out that the mastermind behind the demons was a Demon God.*

A transcendent being that even surpasses demons wanted Recoris silenced.

Specifically, it wanted to keep the connection between Recoris and the Church a secret.

So, the demons didn't want it to be known that the Church was pulling the strings behind this incident?

Why?

"The only explanation is..."

*That the Church and the Demon Gods are connected.*

The room shuddered again at this revelation.

The Church and the Demon Gods are connected!?

The Church, which stands at the forefront with a hero to fight against demons, and the Demon Gods, the supreme beings of the demons.

These two, who should be mortal enemies, are connected!?

*This is a scandal that they would want to keep hidden at all costs.*

Abinion's face twisted into an evil smile.

*We Demon Gods are spontaneous and care only about the present. We are not suited for grand schemes like the Demon Gods. ...Well, perhaps that's why they rely on such petty means, being far inferior to us Demon Gods.*