Chapter 13 - The Unhallowed Array's Sacrifice

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

Betra sat in a corner of the dark room, gnawing at her nails like a nervous wreck. She was terrified. She could not forget Ilea's eyes that evening. Black as a bottomless pit, with no distinction between pupil and white—an utterly horrifying sight.

They resembled the gaze of the Demon she had once seen in the royal capital.

"... That bitch is a Demon."

Or she was possessed. No ordinary human could harbor so much malice. Now that Betra had seen Ilea's true nature, she could no longer remain in the lord's castle. She had to leave before she was devoured.

She intended to leave the domain as soon as dawn broke. Her youthful bloom was gone, but her body was still fresh, her sensual appeal riper than in her younger days. Some backwater lord would take her in. She could start again.

"... Fuck."

Reason and emotion were different things. A slip of a girl was stealing her nest. Alongside her fear, anger crept up inside her. Her sense of injustice diluted her terror little by little. Why should she be the one to leave?

She liked this domain. So long as she kept the Baron happy, the castle was practically her playground. Whenever she broke her toys—the tribute girls—more were supplied, and the servants treated Betra as the mistress of the castle.

Where else could she enjoy such luxury? A lowly whore would never find another paradise like this. The petty power she had enjoyed all this time held her back. She gnawed irritably at her nails.

'I won't let some newcomer push me out.'

She needed a way to drive Ilea out instead. She could hardly ask the Baron for help as usual. With his favor behind Ilea, that would only backfire. She needed another solution.

As she pondered, a way out suddenly flashed through her mind. One corner of Betra's mouth rose.

The perfect remedy for destroying that possessed bitch: the Church of the Great Saint. The Church, the natural enemy of Demons, would see right through Ilea.

If Ilea really was possessed, she would be confined to a convent for treatment. If she was a Demon contractor, she would be strapped to a torture frame and flayed. Both were good outcomes, but the latter was far more appealing.

The moment that snow-white skin became a bloody mess, Betra might truly feel salvation. She began cackling like a witch.

Tomorrow morning, she would have the priest submit a formal accusation to the Church: a Demon contractor had appeared. The Church would send the Demon-Suppression Order to the domain. Inquisitors, holy knights, exorcist priests, priests from the Punishment Division... People as vicious as Demons would pass judgment on Ilea.

"Wicked little bitch. Now that pretty face of yours will rot away."

The pleasant fantasy drove out her anxiety and fear. In a few days, the castle would be Betra's world again. Smiling, she climbed into bed. Just as she was settling down for a sweet sleep, she heard it.

CLACK, CLACK, CLACK.

A dull noise came from beyond the bedroom door. The handle moved intermittently in time with it. Betra bolted upright.

'Someone's outside.'

They seemed to be trying to open the door. She had been unusually anxious tonight and had locked it, so it stayed shut.

"Wh-who's there!"

No answer came. The sounds simply grew closer and closer together.

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK.

The handle jerked erratically, then began rattling up and down like mad. Betra's face drained white. The terror she had buried rose to the surface.

Just as she was about to scream, the noise stopped entirely. Silence fell without warning. The handle that had rattled so violently was now lowering smoothly.

CREEEAK.

The door slowly opened with an aged creak. Betra's eyes shook wildly.

"I-Ilea...?"

A silver-haired girl stepped through the doorway. Her blue eyes were colder than usual.

"You locked your door, Mother."

"I-if you knew that, why did you force your way in?"

"Because I need you, Mother."

"Need me? What for...?"

"To be precise, I want your body."

Betra furrowed one brow.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out soon."

With that, Ilea began walking slowly toward the bed.

"Stay away! Talk from over there!"

Ilea gave the hysterically shouting Betra a gentle smile.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"I know your true nature! Come any closer and I'll scream!"

The lord's knights or soldiers would come running. Ilea stopped, looking troubled.

"My true nature? It seems you've seen through me, Mother. What did you see, then?"

Tension settled over Betra's face. As though steeling herself for something, she suddenly shouted.

"... A D-Demon. You're a Demon, you bitch!"

A Demon was here—everyone had to come and seize her. That was what she wanted to shout, but for some reason her voice would not emerge. As though she were screaming underwater, the sound lingered around her, then dispersed.

"Everyone is asleep. It's rude to shout like that."

Betra clawed frantically at her throat. At some point, she had become unable to utter a single word. Something seemed to fill her windpipe, choking off her breath.

She began retching desperately. Perhaps her efforts worked, for black smoke poured from her mouth like vomit. She howled like an animal.

"You wicked Demon bitch! What are you doing to me!"

"You've got it wrong. I'm not a Demon. Would you look down? You seem to have confused me with that."

The smoke Betra had vomited up was taking shape. It writhed as though alive and breathing. The black demonic energy transformed into a hideous crone.

"Wasn't that the Demon you saw before, Mother?"

Betra had seen those pitch-black eye sockets through Ilea. Had the deep shadows she witnessed then truly been a Demon's gaze? Trembling, she muttered.

"Y-you really were a Demon contractor."

"No. I'm a witch. And you, Mother, are a sacrifice."

The crone spirit licked up Betra's cheek. She could not even scream. Faced with utter terror, humans froze like stone.

"Now, let's go to the altar together."

The crone spirit dissolved into smoke again and seeped into Betra's body. Pitch-black shadows covered both her eyes. She was possessed.

Ilea looked out the window. The moon shone with an especially sinister light tonight. She traced the holy sign toward the full moon.

"Saint Marziel. Your original sin has taken root. Please keep watching."

* * *

Yohan was deep in thought as he descended the spiral staircase leading underground.

'I wonder if Ilea is here yet.'

As stipulated by their contract, she would have prepared the mana and sacrifice for the Unhallowed Array. If all went according to plan, Kazan's ring would be corrupted tonight. The moment the holy relic became an accursed object, Yohan would evolve.

But what form would he grow into? What power would awaken? He could be certain of none of it. He had no precedents to go on.

An imp with a white horn. Not a single Demon in the novel had possessed a single horn from birth. Even the Apostles of the Apocalypse had not enjoyed such a privilege.

Nor did his Nightmare Spirit power help much in determining his identity. Quite a few Demons wielded Nightmare Spirits. There were far too few clues to guess his race. He had no choice but to learn about himself through firsthand experience.

'Not knowing what I am makes it hard to plan ahead.'

Such concerns had occupied him more often lately, but no immediate solution came to mind. For now, his best option was to focus on the task at hand. With luck, he might uncover a clue or two tonight. Another power would awaken as a reward for corrupting the holy relic.

Yohan left his thoughts at that and spoke.

"Raguel. Sit here for a while."

The blind boy, who had been feeling his way down the stairs, stopped short.

"Why?"

"Don't ask. Just wait. It won't take very long."

Someone was going to die down below tonight. Not an ordinary death, either, but a human sacrifice. It might prove too great a shock for the fragile boy. Sensing Yohan's intent, Raguel hung his head.

"Must you do it? No matter how wicked someone is, a death like that is unjust."

"Whether Betra is wicked or not means nothing to me. She is simply suitable as a sacrifice. Do not mistake this for a judgment."

"I-if you mean that, wouldn't using a tribute girl be far more efficient? Didn't you choose Betra because you don't want to hurt them either, Yohan?"

Yohan clicked his tongue and jumped down from Raguel's arms.

"You're trying to judge me by your human standards. I am not a human, but a Demon seeking to swallow this castle whole. Betra stands in my way, and I merely wish to take this opportunity to dispose of her."

Yohan began descending the stairs alone. Walking and running were easy enough for him now.

"B-but...!"

"Enough. I have no desire to hear any more of your hypocrisy. You cannot even stop me. You have no right to complain."

Perhaps that had struck home, for Raguel went rigid. His head bowed, he could not say a word. Yohan swallowed a low groan and continued down.

* * *

"You seem upset."

Ilea was already in the library.

"I am no different than usual."

"Ill-mannered little imp. Putting on airs for nothing."

The crone spirit tried to pick a fight, but Yohan did not even answer. His conversation with Raguel had been quite enough pointless talk.

'... Was I too hard on him?'

Thinking of how cowed the boy must be left him oddly uncomfortable. Ilea tilted her head and looked down at him.

"Yohan?"

"Where is Betra?"

Shaking off his thoughts, Yohan got straight to the point.

"Over there."

Ilea's index finger pointed toward the Unhallowed Array. The crone spirit spoke disapprovingly.

"You were so late that the bitch came to her senses. She made such a racket, she gave us quite some trouble."

Betra lay facedown on the hideous spell array, a gag in her mouth. Her eyes trembled.

What in the world was happening in this castle? Demons, a witch, an Unhallowed Array, and this unfamiliar place. Everything around her was so bizarre. She wanted to scream, at least, but the gag wedged firmly in her mouth would not allow it.

Just as Yohan was about to approach her, he heard footsteps behind him.

"I believe I told you to stay on the stairs?"

It was Raguel.

"I-I'm responsible too... I don't want to be the only one running away from it. Please let me stay."

"You will be making yourself an outright accomplice to evil."

"That's better than being a coward."

"There goes your chance of heaven."

"Heaven was out of reach the moment I made a contract with you, Yohan."

Yohan gave a small chuckle.

"Well, do as you please."

It was a decidedly odd exchange for a Demon and his contractor. That was what intrigued Ilea.

"How amusing."

The crone spirit looked displeased. Yohan pointed at Betra.

"Is this a spectacle? Stop standing there gawking and do your part."

That was enough pointless chatter. It was time to activate the Unhallowed Array.