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Chapter 231: To be a Dragon or a Human. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2021-10-07 23:51:45 +0000 UTCEdit: Some corrections but also an addition to the ending. Worth a look!
Edit 2: I forgot about Haati xD
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“Lycerepthors entered the tavern! Master Hamil, we need to leave!”
Hamil’s enforcers forced themselves inside the room, interrupting my attack at the sudden intervention. Snapping myself out of my bloodlust, I retreated my hand and flame as the men grabbed Hamil and Estas.
“There’s a hidden exit through the window,” Eithalr informed them without anybody bringing it up, pointing towards the window leading outside.
‘hIdDeN exIt,’ my ass! That’s just a window!
“Shit! Master Hamil! Mister Estas! We need to hurry,” the men declared as they broke the window, inspecting if they could jump down safely.
Meanwhile, Saori noted how she could hear something happening down in the tavern, mentioning loud, commanding orders as the guards broke in. That probably was the Lycerepth, but I was confused about how they found us. That was when I noticed Gael’s smirk.
“W-Wait, Gael, did you call for them?! How?!”
Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at Gael in disbelief. The Lycerepth was the Empire’s secret police force, likely doubling as their inquisitors as well, so how could someone born in a place like Shaturein be able to call them to rescue us?!
“It wasn’t me,” Gael replied. “I just gave Master Vangrim all the information he needed to be prepared for the worst. I think, when he heard Saintess Eshe was captured by Eithalr at the request of Hamil, he took drastic measures. Good thing Lady Hestia bought them a lot of time with her cooking.”
Wait, this is my fault now?!
“Haha, what a clever trick, Gael!” Eithalr laughed before gorging down all the food I made for him. “Say, there is some rather interesting stuff about to happen in the Empire. I heard you weren’t the best fighter from the others in the crew, but a man of your talents is something any budding schemer would love. Wanna help out?”
“Sorry, can’t do. My current boss would probably hunt me down if he heard that I was re-entering the criminal underground. I’m already considered a traitor; even if it’s your crew, I don’t think they’d like having me around.”
He probably was speaking about Farron and Yorshka here.
“Well, I’ll be merging the Artorias branch with mine, so I guess you’re right. Damn. Shame. Anyways.” He then turned to us, a wry smile on his face. “Thanks for the meal, Hestia. Lovely as your pastries. The Empire is so incredibly behind when it comes to stuff like this, you know, so I appreciate it. Before I leave, I’ll make sure to buy lotsa it.”
“T-Thanks, I guess?” I still haven’t gotten the bloodlust he showed before.
“However… acquaintances today might become enemies tomorrow. People like us learn this sadly too early, and as a merc, that is doubly so. I appreciate you introducing those treats to me, but turning those good feelings off for a job is something I’ve mastered… so be careful when we next meet.”
I gulped. Nobody on my team liked how ominous that sounded.
He raised a single finger up before continuing, “You have one favor. Use it wisely. I’m not a fan of backstabbing my contractor, since it devalues people’s trust in my abilities, but for a favor, I can probably do something about it.”
Eithalr then conjured up his ethereal greatsword again and deftly sliced up the shattered window even further, letting out little to no sounds as the exit widened. “Hope we don’t meet again,” he said before jumping down from the second floor.
Please. I’ve had enough heart attacks…
Seeing Eithalr flee the scene, Hamil’s bodyguards were about to help their employer and Estas leave the premise through the same way, but multiple large [Frozen Shield]s materialized between them, blocking the way. When they turned around, red in anger, they shouted at us.
“What are you doing!? I answered your question and freed those slaves, girl! Release me now! I have to leave before the damn Empire gets to me!”
“Why should we?” I answered back. “In fact, I never said I only had one question.”
When my attempt on his life was interrupted, I didn’t retreat my hand out of shame for nearly doing him in. The fat pig deserved it for traumatizing Lorena with that despicable action. However, I stopped my bloodlust ‘cause I realized somebody else in our group needed answers.
It was Tasianna.
“Sorry about that, I nearly forgot,” I apologized to her, feeling embarrassed.
“It’s alright, Lady Hestia. Even if we hadn’t gotten the information from him, I am sure we could have asked Miss Muraina, or even Master Krymdar, for the answers,” she accepted my apology, before turning around to face Hamil. “As someone so heavily involved in illegal smuggling, you should know something about the recent fae hunting in Firwood, right? Also, the fae hunting that happened a year ago in Saelariel, right?!”
The clues were there. Davison hired people to hunt lesser fae for him, the same ones that Tasianna freed when we raided the alchemist’s building. However, while it was true that the Yanderu Eluseuss had something to do with it — at least, Helmut did, but he was dead now — asking them probably wouldn’t work without the former Yanderu boss here.
From how Gael described the company, they were mercs, so it was likely that only the boss had any contact with the contractor. People like Kaian, Friell and Helmut just did their job. Asking the current members wouldn’t lead us to a target. We had to ask somebody higher in the illegal smuggling chain — Hamil.
“Answer me!” Tasianna shouted.
We had to know how Davison got those fae hunters, and we had to know who was responsible for Princess Schuri’s death. The hunters might not have aimed for Schuri specifically, but Tasianna’s vengeance was something I promised to help her with. She was my friend and somebody who had helped me more than enough. I need to do this for her.
“Can you hear it, Hamil? The rooms downstairs are being opened and people are being questioned down there. Better hurry up,” Saori pressured him to speak.
“You are a criminal. You are a smuggler involved in illegal drugs and imports from the Empire. While the Lycerepth might not care that you are a slave trader, they will care when they hear you tried to murder a saintess acknowledged by the church and the holy empire,” Ellaine added, furthering the stress Hamil felt. “I heard the Lycerepth do not allow prominent criminals an easy death.”
Jeez, Ellaine can certainly be as ruthless as any other noble when she wants to!
“Tch!” Realizing he had to do something before it all ended, he quickly . “I do not work with products related to fae or fairies. Too much risk with all the elves in Griffonpeak. However, I heard someone in Estralia who has been taking on these jobs for high-paying customers. If you want to learn more, go over there and ask them!”
The Republic of Estralia, the birth country of Farron and the origin of that alchemist Davison. Even though Davison was banned from the alchemy guild in Estralia due to his experimentation on monsters, I wouldn’t be surprised if his captured faefolk source came from that place. If I remember correctly, the country bordered the Equevanna duchy.
That’s good enough of a lead. We should question Muraina and Krymdar more, and especially ask them why they haven’t brought this topic up to Tasianna.
“Now, dispel these things!” Hamil commanded. “I must leave now!”
“Once again, I ask, ‘Why should we?’” With Tasianna satisfied, I walked up to Hamil with my claws aflame.
“W-What is this?! I answered your questions! Release me now!” he squirmed, pushing his enforcers and Estas forward as human shields.
“Yeah, you did. Thank you very much, but…” I scowled, gesturing to cut his neck. “You’ll just come back to bite me in the tail. You’ve done enough fucked up shit that I won’t let you continue your crap!”
“Eiiiiiiiie!”
With Hamil vainly hitting the ice shields with a dagger he had under his clothes while his enforcers glanced at each other with timid expressions, I continued forward only to be stopped by Eshe and Ellaine.
“Lady Hestia, please, he answered everything! I beg of you as a fellow blessed to stay your hand and let the lycerepthors handle this! Allow Lamreeta, Goddess of Justice, to handle this, Lady Hestia!” Eshe pleaded to my goodwill.
“I agree, Hestia!” Ellaine nodded vigorously, urging me to stop. “You aren’t like these people! Even if you justify this to yourself now, you are not the type of person to the murder others if there is a better way to resolve this. There is a better way! Hand them in to the lycerepthors with all our testimonies!”
I felt conflicted.
On one hand, killing had become second nature to me. I had to grow up with it to survive as a young dragon and become the Hestia of today, to the point that I wasn’t even fazed if I had to kill a human to protect myself or my friends. At this point, telling myself to stop when I had enough reasons to kill Hamil is slightly hypocritical.
On the other hand, I knew I shouldn’t take a life so easily. I was a dragon, yes, but I also had my mentality from when I was still on Earth. “Hestia” was created from these two aspects of me combined to create my reincarnated self. I wasn’t a saint, I wasn’t a hero, nor was I the perfect good person. But I strived to stay on the white side of the morality spectrum.
“Little miss, don’t forget that you will get in trouble if you are the one to kill Hamil.” After sweating over the details, Gael suddenly interjected himself. “Mister Vangrim might have sent the Lycerepth over here, but I don’t think he would like it too much if you did him in now. That is how Shatu works.”
Grimnir, too, had something to say about it. “If you are hesitating, then I believe letting justice run its course would be better for your conscience, lass. At the end of the day, I would agree with either.”
Even Tasianna and Saori had something to add.
“As your maid, Lady Hestia, I will bear the consequences of your actions with you. However, if you would ask me for advice, then I don’t believe our good friend would like it if you avenged them like this. They aren’t that type of person, nor do I believe you are, either.” Tasianna was talking about Lorena.
“In my opinion, he deserves death, Hestia. He did something wholly unforgivable to our friend and the kids. If I were to make the choice, I would not risk letting this rat escape just so he can ambush us when we least suspect it later!”
Everybody had a different opinion on this matter. Should I listen to them, let their opinions influence me, or should I look deeper into myself and find that answer on my own. As we were both monsters, Saori had the same thoughts my dragon side was telling me to do, while Ellaine empowered my human side’s choice.
What was right and what was wrong?
“Huh? Eithalr, help me escape!”
But, that decision wouldn’t be mine to make today.
In a single second, Tasianna’s ice shield exploded into snowflakes, eviscerated by a blue, translucent greatsword.
“Pay?” the man wielding it asked.
“Anything! Connections, details, money, resources; anything! Just get me out of here now!” Like a desperate plea to the devil in a hopeless situation, Hamil took a choice no sane businessman would take.
“Deal!”
“No!” I scream, tugging free from Ellaine’s and Eshe’s hand and dashed forward, attempting to stop Hamil from escaping.
“Don’t dash forward in a rush, Lady Idol, otherwise you’ll get hurt.” And, with a wide smirk, Eithalr kicked me, drilling the force of his leg right into my stomach.
“Blark!”
“Lady Hestia!”
“Hestia!”
I shot right backwards like a bullet, breaking through the entrance walls and crash landing down into the tavern. With a loud commotion around me, I quickly recovered from the landing and strained my legs, shooting myself back in the room with [Wind Blast].
By the time I arrived, however, Eithalr and Hamil’s crew were long gone. Saori was looking out from the window opening, glaring at the escaping party and was about to send her garms, only to be stopped by Gael. “Not worth it,” he said, pointing at how we were involving ourselves in Yanderu Elusuess business now. If we continued, we would make them our enemies once again.
I clicked my tongue, holding onto my pained stomach as my flames recovered the damage done to me.
His attack was fast. My skills managed to warn me in time, but that kick was still too fast for me to dodge it. Damnit, how much Agility does he have?! Over 6000?!
As I complained to myself about it, the footsteps coming up the stairs became louder and louder. When a familiar voice came up, I knew it was about to become annoying.
“Well, well, Lady Hestia? I see that you are here, too. Did you also come to save Saintess Eshe, or were you also captured alongside her?”
I turned around, seeing the all too familiar outfit of a certain officer of the lycerepth. With the badge of an eyed gavel proudly presented on his chest, the mustache man looked at me with an “I have questions” look.
“Hello… Pestrodus.”
The situation after the Lycerepth’s arrival was fairly quickly dealt with. We were escorted outside and given some rest with the help of the officers. Eshe especially was treated like a VIP as they brought her anything she needed.
When we asked why they came, Pestrodus explained how a spy from the king himself had informed him that Eshe had entered Shaturein. Mortified at the situation, he mobilized everybody as they were preparing to go to sleep, ordering the agents and knights to make their way into the undercity to bring Eshe back.
Due to the fact that we’ve been keeping ourselves incognito, they couldn’t find us even after interrogating everybody. The undercity was vast, and they’ve been keeping this investigation up until now with little to no breaks. When people already went to sleep, he woke them up.
Eventually, he found some random beggars who informed him people with our description entered an auction house. When he arrived there, it was already in ruins. As he was about to continue the investigations, an anonymous messenger arrived, delivering the information to our location. When he arrived at the tavern, he began asking people where we were, only to see me shooting out of the room. This brings us to now.
Well, I kinda did expect King Drangleic to have some people making sure we weren’t in danger. They’ve been relatively unintrusive, so I never really worried myself with them. Still… now that I considered it, I am causing him a ton of headaches, huh? Also, who was that anonymous messenger from?
“Now, Lady Eshe, I would like a full coverage of the whole incident. I hope you know your position well enough that performing a stunt like this was enough to jeopardize our whole diplomatic trip,” Pestrodus glared at Eshe, urging her to answer him. Even towards a saintess, this guy had to play the bad cop.
Eshe explained to Pestrodus about how she had heard some orphans were kidnapped and brought down to Shaturein. Knowing we would get into a lot of trouble if she were to tell the truth, she lied by telling Pestrodus that she had asked us to help her save the orphans with her.
The king only mentioned Eshe entering Shaturein to get Pestrodus to work for him, while giving him a reason not to mention me. Even Eshe is now covering up for me. Urgh, how much trouble do I cause people around me?
“Hmm,” Pestrodus murmured. “Are you lying to me, Saintess Eshe?” Pestrodus adjusted his monocle, probably activating the lie detector function in it.
“… No, what I said was only the truth, I swear this on the Goddess and my duty as her saintess,” Eshe committed to the lie. “When I heard the children were kidnapped, I knew I needed help to rescue them. Sir Alikar and Dame Anivh were not enough, so I asked for help from my friend, Idol Hestia. When she heard what happened to the children and my conviction to rescue them, she did not stop me and promised my safety. As you can see, I was not harmed one bit.”
Well, that isn’t exactly a lie. Just mixing events around.
Pestrodus stared at the wary Eshe, inspecting her expression before he had enough. “Sir Alikar. Dame Anivh. By your honor as Knights of Aurena, can you attest the words of your Lady?”
““We do, Sir!”” Their response was instant.
“…” Pestrodus silently turned towards us. “I now wish to hear everything. Even from you six. Especially from you, rogue.”
“Haha…” Gael laughed nervously. Looking back, he probably should have escaped with the others.
Getting interrogated was not an easy task for us. It was mentally draining on our already tired minds. However, through the power of [Telepathy], we managed to get through this crisis by all sticking to the story Eshe told us, even after they separated us for the interrogations.
“Where are the kids now, Saintess Eshe?” Pestrodus asked us after we were all done and satisfied.
“In the care of trustworthy slave breakers, Sir Pestrodus. With the contract broken, all of them should be free.”
“Then please pick them up and go back to the surface. Your safety is everybody’s most important duty, Saintess Eshe,” Pestrodus ordered. “Sir Feos, bring Saintess Eshe and her companies to their destination. After that, bring them back to the orphanage. Take a few officers with you, just in case. Come back once they have made it back safely.”
“Yes, Sir!” a guard around Pestrodus’ age responded vigorously with a salute.
“Now, Saintess Eshe. Idol Hestia.” He turned back to us. “I ask you to take care of how you conduct yourselves. You are representatives of the Goddess, and while your actions today were commendable, if either of you had made a mistake and perished, it would have led to mass chaos. Especially you, Lady Hestia. You may call yourself a blessed, but it seems the church hasn’t fully accepted your claim yet. You are no champion, so you aren’t entitled to the privilege of protecting a saintess.”
“But I am one,” I wanted to say, but my mouth was sealed shut after all the interrogation. I still found it funny that people still questioned my claim when both Eshe and the King testified to it, but I guess I just wasn’t “popular” enough with the clergy to be considered one of their blessed, huh? Then again, I introduced myself as an idol, so maybe they were questioning that point.
As we said our goodbyes to him, this Sir Feos led us towards Friell’s and Kaian’s house with two others. One of them, coincidentally, was a familiar-looking yellow-haired young man. Thinking about it more, it was the lycerepthor who visited Eshe with those two slaves. He only spoke with her, ignoring me, but I was okay with it.
I need time to think about what I nearly did anyway.
I contemplated the moral dilemma I was in just a while ago. Which decision was correct for me? Was it killing Hamil to prevent him from retaliating and avenging the atrocities he committed, or was sparing him and letting him face justice through the law system the better option? With everybody giving their opinions on it, I was still confused.
Strangely enough, I had this weird feeling that I had heard this discussion somewhere before. Not in Peolynca, I think. Maybe it was on Earth? During a movie or a cartoon? Superheroes and vigilante actions were common on the internet, so maybe this memory came from those moments? I wasn’t sure, all I knew was that I was confusing myself further.
Hamil is a criminal just like those bandits and an aggressor like those grimgarians. All of them are sapient beings. As a dragon, they were simply enemies. It’s so much easier to think of them like that, but I just don’t know. Why is having a human conscience so tiring…
Regardless, time went by as I pondered on this. Nobody wanted to interrupt me and I believe Saori was questioning herself as well. Regardless, we eventually made it back to Friell’s house. As we didn’t want to scare them, Tasianna went inside by herself and brought the kids outside, who all ran up and hugged Eshe and me. This was our reunion after the slave auction.
“Thank you very much for rescuing me, Lady Hesita.” Outside of the kids, the katzune women I helped at the auction house, Haati, also came out and accompanied us to the surface. She was in tears when she learned her mark was gone.
As we made our way back up to Griffonpeak, Tasianna recalled what Friell told her. The slave marks had disappeared, as we planned, and some of the ex-slaves left right after that. Whoever wanted to leave, Friell let them since she wasn’t their caretaker. She accepted the children until they chose what to do, but she probably will transport the adults back to the surface in due time.
They weren’t our problem anymore, in other words. Still, it seemed like some of them still wanted to send their thanks to us.
Once we made it back to the surface — saying goodbye to Haati once we were outside the red light district — and subsequently the orphanage, the lycrepthors dismissed themselves to return to Shaturein. They had to catch Hamil, it seemed.
“Lady Hestia,” now that everything was over, Eshe wanted to tell me something. “First things first, thank you so very much for everything. I cannot thank you enough for your care for the children, to the point you were willing to plunge yourself into the unknown to rescue them. Kids, tell it to her.”
“Yeah, Big Sis, thank you very much. We prayed to the Goddess that you would come and you did. You rescued us!”
“Yes, thank you very much for everything, Big Sis. Thank you very much for not abandoning us.”
“Eheheh… no need to thank me, everybody.” I gave them a fat hug. “I promised Abi to save you, so I did. That’s what friends are for, right? Also, don’t forget to thank everybody else. We weren’t the only ones, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right! Big Sis Tasi and Miss Saori were so cool!”
“Hey, we need to thank Mister Grimnir and Lady Ellaine, too! They helped all the other prisoners to escape!”
As the kids charged towards the others, Eshe smiled and continued what she said, “It brings me nothing but joy to see kids so joyous. In Sarkafiina, I have seen kids feeling less than joy to be helped. Some scowled, some were suspicious like little animals, and some only knew how to take good intentions and run. A few I tried to help in this city declined my offer, saying the orphanage was a servant trainer for the nobles. As an adult, I’m ashamed that kids with already scarred hearts exist.”
“…” I nodded, questioning if I would be included in this. “You didn’t need to say all those things to Pestrodus, Lady Eshe. You didn’t need to lie.”
“That was my decision alone, Lady Hestia. My position is already on a thin rope. One more ‘mistake’ isn’t an issue,” Eshe stated. “I was already in danger of being forgotten as a saintess by the world, so I thought coming to you would be a good chance to make my presence known. About my piety to the Goddess. But… after what we did today, I realized even if I hadn’t become a saintess, I still would have found happiness if I could just help children grow up properly.”
“… You are a great person, Lady Eshe. A very good person.” Hearing Eshe say those things really increased my opinions on saints. Aurena told me to become her saintess as well as her champion, but seeing how Eshe behaved, I couldn’t imagine myself as nice as her.
My thoughts weren’t worthy of a saintess.
“Still, I caused you enough trouble which could ha—Huh?!” Out of nowhere, Eshe hugged me. She smelled a bit like Shaturein at this moment, but that wasn’t enough to detract from how soothing it felt.
“Hestia, you count as a child as well. You may be sixteen mentally, an adult as a result, but there is something innocent in you that still makes me think of you as a child. I do not wish to patronize you, I’m sorry.”
I didn’t say anything. I just let her continue speaking.
“I came here to help you learn how to be a proper champion of the Goddess, but being with you, I have also learned much. I was happy when you hesitated to slay Hamil. You are a good person, Hestia, don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise.” Eshe released her embrace, showing me a wide smile. “Have a pleasant night, Lady Hestia.”
“Yeah, you too, Lady Eshe.”
“Mhm. Come children, say goodnight to them. The Sisters must be worried sick.”
As Eshe and her knights guided the children back to the orphanage, Saori laid a hand on my shoulder. “She seemed to have taken the big sister role today. Hestia, I’m sorry for giving you my opinion today. I should have dissuaded you, just like everybody else.”
“Your monster side, right?”
Saori nodded. Her expression seemed crestfallen, as if she had done something unforgivable. “I thought I could keep it better in control, since I’m older, but it seems I was naive to think I that I was still the same Saori as on Earth. I’m sorry, I failed you today as a friend.”
Saori stopped Eshe from preventing me from killing Hamil, and she also voiced her opinion on killing Hamil. The two of us were the only ones fully willing to end Hamil.
“Nah, it’s okay. If I was in better control of myself, you wouldn’t have to feel as conflicted as I did. I have to take responsibility for my own actions, too, Saori.” I glanced over, watching as the orphanage kids streamed out of the building, welcoming everybody back with warmth. “I thought it would be easy, but adapting with a dragon inside me is harder than I thought. If [Battle Frenzy] wasn’t evident enough already.”
“But that is why we are here for you two. Hestia. Saori.” Saori and I turned around. Tasianna, Ellaine, and Grimnir were standing there.
“I’m not the sorta person to scold others for their moral decisions, as this life isn’t easy for nice people. Even the smoothest rocks will form cracks and edges as they face nature’s trials.” Grimnir then patted our backs, a big smile on his face. “But don’t put yourself down, alright? One mistake won’t turn you into bad people. Even the best amongst us will have their down moments.”
“That is correct, Lady Hestia. Miss Saori. Your decision was motivated by your worry for Miss Lorena. That is not a sin, that is a virtue. I mean, for my love and guilt for Princess Schuri, I even dragged my current Mistress into my revenge plot. I also am not pure, my friends.”
“But it is okay, right? That is why we are a team now! It is our job to complement each other, as everybody helped me find what I need to do in my life. Even if it’s as simple as a moral compass, on my honor as a daughter of House Helvas, I swear I will do my best at it.”
“You guys… hiehie.” I wiped a small tear from my eyes. It was heartwarming to have these people with me.
“Agreed, hiehie. What a blessing a second life really is. It is such a difference from my life on Earth,” Saori expressed.
As we waved the orphanage kids goodbye for the night, we said goodbye to Gael and began to make our way back to the mansion. With a good deed done tonight, it was time for us to rest.
But—
[“Ahhh, that was a beautiful moment for our party, right? Hmm, such a joy to hear… So, do you dearies want to hear the good news or bad news first?”]
— things weren’t simple for us.
“Good,” I answered, already preparing myself for the worse.
Klea’Hatma acquiesced, [“Well, good news is that I am 100% sure that Eithalr is not a demonkin. He definitely had something giving him that aura. Maybe it’s similar to that Davison person or it really is from another source. Regardless, he cannot use a demon’s power.”]
“If that is the ‘good news,’ then I’m sure that I’m not going to like hearing what the bad news is,” Saori stated. I had to agree, especially when the good news was just a repetition of what she said before.
[“Mhmm, I think you won’t like this at all, as you said. But, you need to know, I think,”] Klea’Hatma paused, keeping us on our toes. [“I didn’t have enough time to pinpoint the target since the aura was on all of them, but one of those outfitted men… I am sure that one of them is a genuine descendant of us demons. One of them is probably a demonkin of Envy.”]
“““““…”””””
Something was about to happen in Griffonpeak, and it was something I didn’t like at all.
********************************************
“Damnit!”
Plates, utensils, and paper flew around from the rampage of an overweight man. Despite his impeccable appearance from his hair to his suit, this man’s behavior and actions had little in common with the nobles he had so desperately tried to copy his entire life.
The luxury he worked so hard for was being flung around the room, shattering into pieces before him. His shouting echoed through his manor, reaching the ears of most of his servants.
This was Hamil Czecsics, former merchant from the Empire.
He had moved to Artorias in the pursuit of money, identifying the local resources and commodities to be valuable enough to risk such a venture. He risked lowering himself from a respectful merchant to that of the “scum” his parents dissuaded him from interacting.
“Why?! Why?! Why?! Why did this have to happen today! Those pieces of shit! I told them church children were off-limits! Noble children were off-limits! Too. FUCKING. RISKY!” Hamil’s hands ached from him pounding them on his sturdy wooden desk. His body told him to stop before they shattered, but Hamil ignored it all in his rage. “I’ll have to kill that idiot who assigned those new-bloods to that task! It is such an easy rule to follow! Follow the guild rules and you get your money. Street urchins are such easy targets, why did they have to pick on church orphans!”
Hamil’s rage at Hestia and Eshe hadn’t subsided, but he was more furious at how this chaos had begun in the first place. If those new recruits had only followed his orders and rules to the perfection. If they had only left the nobles and church alone, none of this would have happened. He was more enraged at the incompetence of his own men.
“…What do I do now? I’m done. The Lycerepth knows of me. Blackreach now has a proper excuse to get rid of me. Even that damn bastard woman, Jenghil, is working against me now!” Hamil crumpled a letter in his hand, hammering it on the table.
“Need help?”
Like a fly lured to a fireplace, Hamil’s cries of despair was like a potential feast for an ambitious devil. The door opened up slowly, revealing a figure hiding inside the shadows of this house.
“You…” Hamil glared at the man.
His outfit was that of a lycerepthor, an agent of the Empire’s state inquisition. Although his badge was openly there to see, his face was hidden behind a mask. The darkness of Hamil’s room shrouded his figure, but that didn’t stop Hamil from recognizing who exactly this was.
“I apologize for being unable to stop everybody. I have my duties, and I need to perform them to not attract attention. People are watching, Hamil.”
“I know that!” Hamil yelled, letting out the last of his rage. He calmed himself, fixing his suit up to look presentable. “Why did you come all the way here? You aren’t the sort of person to apologize like this.”
“Precisely. I have come to inquire if all the preparations are done? My Lord will arrive soon to take matters into his own hands. As such, we need things to be prepared so our plan may work flawlessly.”
“Don’t worry about it. I still have enough people in my pocket to make them cause some trouble. For all the haughty air they breathe, nobles are just like common merchants, always looking to push their agenda. They’re just usually a bit more prideful, which makes it harder to persuade them to work with somebody like me, but not impossible.”
“Will they move all at once?”
“I have two specific candidates who will lead the charge. The chaos you create, they will take it onto themselves to abuse in their favor. With their rising influence, everything will work out. How about your work? I heard the kingdom has been stomping schemes after schemes.”
“…” The person was silent. With how much Hestia’s information had aided Artorais in thwarting various plans, he didn’t want to answer. “I have something else planned. Something bigger. The issues in Equevanna and Olivus haven’t dissolved yet, so I will try to lead them to prey on the other duchies.”
“My supporters won’t like that.”
“Why should you care? After all, you have a single goal with all of this, right? You’ll be gone before the aftermath.”
“… I do. If I do this for you, demonkin, you will help me exact revenge on the people who destroyed my family, right? Even if they are nobles, correct?”
The man opened the door. He turned around, leaving one last message before bidding Hamil goodnight. “A demonkin respects his contracts, Hamil.”
Outside the manor, hiding inside the shadow of a building, the man took off his mask, revealing the actual face behind all these plots.
“ ‘[Original Sin: Demiurge]…’ It cannot be compared to the ability of the true Prince of Envy, but it still does the trick for long enough to fool everybody. Still, an inferior mockery of the true demonic ability will eventually lead me to death… a death most glorious.”
“But, why would you care, Master?” An eerie voice escaped from underneath his clothes. Pulling that source out, the demonkin looked at the hand-sized crystalline ball with black mana flowing inside.
“Fulsara, I did not think you would lose a soul urn so soon? Who did this to you?”
“Memories are etched onto your soul. I cannot remember their faces nor names, but I’ll just ask my familiars for that later on. However, I know they were another one watched over by either Father God or Mother Goddess.”
“They shattered your soul before you released it from the crystal? Then they truly deserve to be watched over by Honored Lord Marsven. Watch yourself, though — even a lich will die once your remaining soul urns are gone.” The demonkin then placed the orb back into his pocket. “Once you revive your body, prepare for the grand entrance of a king, Fulsara.”
He aimed his glare to the ceiling of Shaturein, squinting it as if locking onto a target. “My Lord will want the most chaotic entrance. For his descent will mark another victory for us demonkins against the false Goddess. I face the original sin of my bloodline, I call upon my Envy to surface, Original Sin: Demiurge.”
As if an eldritch force had taken hold of him, the demonkin’s body and face morphed through this esoteric ability. His heart and blood vessels trembled, actively rejecting this power from how overwhelming it was, but with clenched teeth, the demonkin forced it into his body.
With bated breath, the being adjusted his clothes, calming himself for his task requires him to act as the very beings he was indoctrinated to hate since childhood. The history of demonkins was not kind to their race, and its many members accepted the hate thrown at them by the humans and beastmen.
But pride and wrath would not let this shame go unanswered.
Envious of the bravery his sin brothers and sisters have shown against their aggressors, a young child can be nurtured into a suicidal weapon to bring down a whole kingdom.
“We shall cut the wings of the griffons.”
Comments
testimony?
Diego Rossi
lycerepthors with all our testaments! -> lycerepthors with all our evidence! (or witness, maybe)
Hoard what, though? Saori is the money woman.
Frostbutt
Embrace your inner dragon Hestia! Make a hoard, disrupt local ecosystems, kidnap prince(sse)s!
LOL! Hestia’s internal monologue getting destroyed by micha
Imp
Dragon. Humans suck. Even Elaine went demon girl instead.
