Chapter 56
The next day, Ethel came to the building above the academy’s conversation room.
Right at lunchtime.
Should I cover my face?
No, I won’t.
I had a slightly arrogant thought that even if I were recognized, what could they do? But more than that, I didn’t want to reveal myself to Ethel as someone wrapped up in layers of lies.
If necessary, I could lie as much as I wanted.
Come to think of it, I should have eaten before getting to work. I had chosen the wrong time.
The building was dark, making it difficult to see who was standing in front of me.
"Ethel. It is you, right?"
Judging by the silhouette, it seemed like her.
"Ellen? Why did you suddenly ask to meet in a place like this?
Wouldn’t it have been better to meet at my house ins—huh?"
A subordinate, who had been hiding behind her, injected something into Ethel’s side.
It wasn’t harmful—just a sleeping drug made from ground-up, still-living medicinal herbs.
If anything, it might even be good for her body.
"This place doesn’t have great facilities. Could you transport her to the mansion?
Put her in the best place available. If possible, somewhere with an intact bed would be even better."
"Understood, my lady."
"Oh, and don’t cut anything off."
"Yes."
In the morning, I had exchanged greetings with Theo-senpai, and by lunchtime, I was bringing the friend I was closest to at the academy into the conversation room.
Well, once the building was completed, I’d have fewer tasks to deal with.
Honestly, I had no idea what Theo-senpai was thinking.
Whenever I approached and greeted him, he looked at me differently than usual—his eyes showing a mix of fear and hostility.
I didn’t think I had done anything to scare him.
Yet, every time he looked at me, he deliberately averted his gaze, like someone pretending not to know something.
I bought a piece of bread from the ruined streets and ate it on the go.
I should probably just wander around for a bit and then head home.
There was no need to walk home with Theo-senpai.
The still-angry crowd was eagerly capturing any demons that looked weak and pelting them with stones.
"Was her name Petra…?"
A girl was clutching the noose around her neck, trembling and whimpering.
The people found joy in it, pressing torches against her feet and throwing hard or sharp objects at her.
Why did I even know her name?
Maybe we had met before.
She could have been one of the prostitutes Marco frequently visited.
What a heartwarming sight.
Demons dangling from gas street lamps, charred buildings, and filthy debris everywhere.
Corpses beaten to a pulp, left to rot because no one cleaned them up, their stench beginning to rise—while demon sympathizers clung to them, weeping.
And the crowd, treating even the better-looking ones differently from demons—not violating them, but simply burning them first.
I had promised Alicia that I’d stop drinking, but how could I not raise a toast in a world as magnificent as this?
It took fire and destruction for people to finally realize what had gone wrong.
They called us "secret police," but everyone knew we existed.
They just didn’t know who the police were—aside from the chief.
Even if I pointed at the slightly foolish-looking Marco, who worked as my coachman, and said, "This man is actually part of the secret police," how many would believe me?
We worked tirelessly under the name of the Security Bureau, yet the ones who should be capturing and punishing demons or vagrants were the ones lazing around.
Not because they had suddenly grown a conscience, surely.
The mounted police who arrived that night had been no help either.
Their faces were flushed red, completely drunk.
They had painted the streets even redder than their faces.
Dragged along with the horse they cherished like family, until there wasn’t even a recognizable form left.
Considering how much demons had suffered at their hands, it was obvious they had been brutally suppressing them for years—so why hadn’t they seen this coming?
Even if those bastards said, "You didn’t see it coming either," well… our job was to handle high-ranking individuals.
To put it bluntly, we had neither the time nor the need to concern ourselves with the lower classes.
If that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble—we could simply flood the streets with mounted police, round up every demon in sight, or kill them on the spot.
At least the citizens were angry enough to take matters into their own hands, slaughtering the demons in the streets. That was a relief.
I had been lost in thought for a while, and before I knew it, I had arrived at the mansion.
I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
A chillingly blank expression stared back at me, so I adjusted it into a bright smile.
Now that was a much better look.
"You’re just standing there, grinning at the mirror like a creep. Have you finally lost your mind?"
"What? Aren’t you supposed to be working?"
Julian walked in as I was smiling at the mirror.
"The butler said you came back looking unusually cheerful. I wondered if you had made some progress."
"Progress in what?"
"Finding out who orchestrated that night’s incident, or rounding up another batch of demons."
"Neither. By the way, what do you mean ‘orchestrated’?"
"Something like that wouldn’t have happened naturally.
You yourself said someone must have been leading them."
There probably were leaders behind it.
If it had just been a few dozen demons, maybe not—but with that many swarming the city’s main streets and noble districts, of course there had to be.
But I didn’t see any need to track them down specifically.
This was bound to happen eventually, and those people had simply lit the match over an already drenched pile of fuel.
All we had to do was make sure it never happened again—by exterminating every last demon.
That way, there would be fewer people left to grieve, like me.
"Ah, that? But why does it matter?"
Julian’s face changed as he looked at me, as if I were something incomprehensible.
"…What do you mean?"
"They’re all going to die anyway.
Not a single one will remain in this country.
It doesn’t matter who started it or who’s to blame—they’ll all be gone regardless."
"…That’s true."
"If you understand, go do your job, Julian.
It’s about time I got to work too."
It wasn’t like I was seeking revenge.
No, this wasn’t some grand, dramatic act of vengeance.
We were simply taking on the work that other noble families should have done before us.
After sending Julian away, I entered the room where Ethel was confined.
"Ellen…?"
Maybe the drug had been ineffective, or perhaps Ethel had a surprisingly strong resistance to toxins—whatever the case, she wasn’t asleep. She was awake.
"Yeah, Ethel."
"…Where am I?"
To have a calm conversation, I took some tea leaves out of the drawer. It wasn’t the prettiest teacup, but I dropped the leaves into a metal cup, brewed some tea, and handed it to her.
"My house."
"…House?"
"Forget that. Instead of a stiff conversation, why don’t we just talk like friends for a bit?
I’ve been working too hard lately, and I’m feeling a little tired."
"…You dragged me to a place like this, and I have no idea what you’re even saying."
"I heard that Count Rosenberg and his wife—your father and mother—took a bunch of demons and went somewhere.
The problem is, I have no idea where they went."
If she asked me how I knew, it’d be a bit troublesome.
I couldn’t just expose the identity of someone who worked hard for that information, and I didn’t want to lie to my friend with such a guilty conscience.
I dropped a cube of sugar into my tea.
It wasn’t my preference, but when doing mental work, it helped to replenish some sugar.
"Oh, and Julius Rosenberg will be placed in the room next to yours.
If you press that button on the wall, you’ll be able to talk to each other."
And you’ll be able to hear the screams, too.
"M-My parents just wanted to at least protect the children…."
"Mm-hmm, I’m sure they did. Whatever."
Truly admirable people.
They were noble souls who pitied those filthy, wretched beasts, eating dirt from the fields to survive.
"So where do you think they went?
Ethel, I want to stay friends with you.
So just answer me. There’s no need for either of us to get hurt over this.
I’ll make sure your parents return safely too, okay?"
"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
"Of course, you don’t. You lied to me before too—wait, before?"
A sudden wave of nausea surged through me.
Luckily, there was a toilet in the room.
What came up was nothing but stomach acid, but that alone made my throat and mouth burn.
Ethel, startled, rushed over and patted my back.
The look on her face showed complete confusion—she had no idea what was happening.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t even tied her up.
Not that chanting a spell would let her escape, but still, I could’ve killed her if she tried.
"Haa… Hey, Ethel. We’re friends, right?"
"…Yeah."
She still couldn’t process the situation.
Well, of course.
She had been knocked out, dragged to some unknown place, and when she woke up, she found herself locked in a tiny room alone with her friend.
"Then tell me. You know where they’re hiding. If you don’t…"
"E-Ellen…!?"
I pulled out my gun and aimed the barrel at her.
"No, I couldn’t possibly shoot you."
Instead, I pretended to aim at Ethel but unloaded the entire cylinder into my own arm.
All six shots roughly tore into my left arm.
Rather than leaving neat holes, the bullets shredded the flesh—"tattered" was a more fitting description.
The only reason I wasn’t aware of the blood pouring out was because it kept flowing without pause.
"W-Wait, Ellen. Just… put that down for a second…."
Her eyes trembled violently, her lips unable to close.
"You see, I lost quite a lot, so I need to do something new.
If I can’t work, I might just fall into despair and die."
If I was about to collapse, I could just douse myself in a potion.
The sensation of new flesh growing was always a pleasure.
"…Hurry up and tell me. I know you know."
I pried her lips open, pressed the gun barrel against her cheek, and pulled the trigger.
That was when Ethel lunged at me.