Fear, Surprise, and Ruthless Efficiency (Monster Girl Encyclopedia SI)

[Wishful Thinking]

Authors; Notes: Hello, One and All! I decided to branch out from Spacebattles, because why not, so here you go. Fair warning, the title may be humorous but the work inside has some rather dark undertones. It's in no way a darkfic but neither it is a crackfic. Anyway, since I'm posting about a chapter a day on SB, I'll publish two per day here until we catch up. Without further ado, please enjoy!



Chapter 1.


Objectively speaking, the chances of being summoned to a different world were nil. There are almost eight billion humans on Earth as of 2019, therefore, the odds of being the lucky one are one to those eight billion. That's not a lot. However, it seems that an entirely another concept decided to rule its superiority over me on this particular day.

They say that no matter how rare or unlikely, everything happens at least once over the course of infinity. Regardless of where you are or what you do, if you survive for infinity years then you will experience everything there is to life and more. For example, you will be struck by a lightning bolt at least once over the course of eternity. If that is a fact, which it is, then the longer you are not being electrocuted by a spear worth around a billion volts the more likely you are to get that breathtaking present later on.

Following so far?

I hope so because that was basically what happened. Oh, you haven't been summoned to a different world for over 18 years? Well, congratulations, because the odds of that happening have just increased by exactly that much!

Metaphysics are fun, I swear.

Anyway, ending up in the middle of the Grand Cathedral of Lescatie was not what I had in mind when I got out of bed this morning, though, granted, I didn't really have anything in mind. Just another day in just another city on just another planet in just another galaxy in our beloved observable universe. I'm pretty sure there are also some kind of galactic clusters separated by dark matter involved but I can't be bothered to remember right now.

"Welcome, Foreigners, to our most glorious Kingdom of Lescatie! You have been summoned here by the brightest minds of our Holy Order to help us bring peace to this tainted world! The untamed wildlands are swarming with vicious monsters who want nothing more than to bring ruin upon humanity, to devour our people, and set fire to our homes! But fret not, for the Order is here to help…"

A silently watched, one of many other spirited away humans, as a portly man in glimmering pearly robes with golden embroidery made a speech from the main pedestal of the cathedral nave. The enthusiastic speech was supported by active articulation with his arms flying in every possible direction as he described the valiant victories of Knights and Priests over the evils of the world. His slightly pudgy chin only served to widen his beaming smile that promised naught but happiness and enlightenment.

Coincidentally, most of my fellow isekai protagonists were either too dazed or too enraptured to notice the rows upon rows of armed guards standing along the walls of the building who just so happened to form a perfect rectangle around us. I skimmed over some of my neighbors and a couple of them met my gaze before subtly nodding. So I wasn't the only one with a clear head, good to know.

Oh, I bet you're wondering how exactly could I have maintained my calm in such a situation. It's simple, really. Remember that bit about me being over 18 years old? Well, it just so happens that I've spent most of that time devouring various forms of fiction in nigh industrial scales. Video games, movies, books, anime, you name it. So this whole "summoned to another world" business seemed like nothing but a fancy vacation.

Not that I would be able to afford one normally.

Regardless, a quick self-inspection was in order. I casually patted down my dark blue jeans and checked the pockets to see if anything of value could be salvaged. Immediately, I felt the cold pressure of my phone in my left pocket, as well as a bundle of earphones curled in my right. Further investigation revealed a ton of miscellaneous crap hidden in every nook and cranny of my black winter jacket, including but not limited to bubblegum, tissues, a bunch of coins, another set of earphones, and a cloth to wipe my glasses with.

Content with my inventory, for now, I brushed the few fallen strands of hair out of my face and continued listening to the tutorial lecture.

"You will now be tested for your spiritual power and assigned to various Institutions. Please, make a line in front of this wonderful artifact and follow the instructions: Simply place your hands on the orb and await results, very simple! The magic will take care of the rest."

He pointed and shimmering orb crystal welded into the base of his pedestal. In response, the artifact briefly flashed with golden radiance.

The crowd wobbled as people slowly rearranged themselves, forming and breaking lines one after another. It took some time for the cheerful priest to order the masses into a semblance of a line. I remained in place, closer to the back, and let the people in front of me do the moving. It wasn't like we'd get kicked out for being too slow, so I took the liberty to ponder on the current situation.

So, Lescatie. Even before the priest mentioned that name, the gigantic crest on the wall right behind him was enough of a clue. A golden cross placed within another golden cross, this time with blades, and surrounded by white feathers? Yeah, that's the Theocracy of Lescatie, alright.

A technical monarchy where every high official was also a member of the Order of the Chief God, a highly militarized nation, and one of the last bastions of humanity against the forces of Darkness. In other words, welcome to the fantasy version of the Imperium of Man, and I'm not talking about the Empire from Fantasy Battles, no. This was the Imperium of Man plugged into a fantasy setting.

If I remembered correctly, this whole place was a religion-ruled hell of a civilization. The Order prospered, and everyone else was either recruited into the army or exploited to sustain the said army. However, it wasn't the Order's fault, not exactly. They had an enemy they had to defeat and did everything in their power to do so. If only the situation wasn't so dire, Lescatie could actually live in prosperity as the Order made sure to preach charity and kindness to fellow humans.

And only humans, yeah.

Which brings us to the main problem: Monsters. Here, in what was probably the world of Monster Girl Encyclopedia, the monsters were… well, let's just say exotic. Also, pretty self-explanatory. Slimes? We have slime girls. Hydras? We have hydra girls as well. Lamias, Arachnes, Harpies, Trolls, Yuki-Onnas, and many many more.

And, to top it all, a Succubus for a Demon Lord. Essentially, that's all there is to the 'plot.' There were humans, there were monsters, and they were fighting each other. Then, a Succubus took the mantle of the Demon Lord and fucked everything up. In more ways than one, too.

So now, instead of wanting to take a bite out of you, most monsters want to take a bite out of a very specific part of you, and keeping doing it over and over and over and over… You get the picture.

But Damien, isn't this place, like, super perfect and hundred percent cool? Like a paradise or something!

Well, funny you say that because it basically is. The monsters are winning because they're the good guys in this conflict. Metaphorically speaking, of course, seeing how all monsters are female. There was something about there being a greater plot, a Cycle or some-such but I honestly can't feel any Mass Effects vibes from this place.

I focused back on the real world to see myself approaching the shining orb. Well, that was fast. My steps echoed around the cathedral as I stopped in front of the pedestal and reached for the artifact. The moment my hands touched the- oh god, it's so smooth. How can anything be this perfectly smooth? I can feel it's watery texture about to bend under my fingers, to drag me inside and envelop me within its cold oceanic depths-

"Marvelous! Another spiritually gifted, the Chief God surely looks down upon in joy!" A booming voice ripped me out of my thoughts. Frightfully, my eyes snapped upwards to see the twin lakes of purple staring right back at me, the holy man's friendly smile looming over me, "Please, proceed over there, just one more test and you shall be assigned your future home!" He pointed in the direction of a small group of visibly confused people.

Looking to the other side, I saw another group but this time way bigger. It seemed that the 'spiritually talented' were a rarity. Gulping down the feeling of pride that reared its head, I started walking towards my future colleagues only to be violently jerked back. Confused, I looked behind me and saw my hands still holding the orb.

Well, this is awkward.

I carefully- noooooooooo- let go of the orb and took my place amongst the chosen. Looking them over, one guy, in particular, stood out. Wild light brown hair and an excited grin, he seemed to be our version of the priest. Amidst the unsure, gloomy faces, he quietly hummed some chirpy melody, tapping his foot to the beat.

I saw him staring right back at me when he gave me a double thumbs up. I sent my own smile in return and nodded slightly. Clearly, he knew what was up. Probably had plans, too.

I busied myself with inspecting the layout and design of the cathedral while the remains of my fellow earthlings were sorted out. Two more people joined our group, one man and one girl, though I didn't bother looking them over any closer. Eventually, the smiling priest came up to us and led into one of the many halls.

I glanced at the other group to see them being led in a different direction by another priest that definitely wasn't there during the initial examination. Oh well, don't know what I expected.

As we shuffled along the corridor accompanied by the two different tunes coming from the only two people smiling, I noticed the subtle change in the group's behavior. Where before they just seemed dazed, I could now see breaths hitching and eyes widening as if some sort of spell was lifted. Calming magic, maybe?

"What the- what's happening?! Is this a dream?" A man dressed in an immaculate suit exclaimed after suddenly stopping. Like dominos falling, the rest froze in place as well.

"This has to be a prank, right?! I mean, come on, monsters, really?!" One of the teenagers chuckled in a hollow voice, "I could swear I didn't take any drugs before sleep…"

Soon, the entire hallway was filled with screams of frustration and pleas for mercy. I winced at the loud noise and used my hands to shield the ears. No respect for their fellow man, I swear.

A gentle tap on my shoulder caused me to turn my head around. Getting my attention, the chirpy guy from before dramatically rolled his eyes and pointed at the panicking mass of people. He then mouthed something and, seeing no reaction from me, said something again.

I raised my eyebrow and pointed with my eyes at the people whom I could still hear, even through my hands. He huffed before smiling in amusement and mimicking his ears getting unplugged. An unavoidable conversation, huh?

I sighed and tilted my hands to allow some noise through. Instantly, the manic chattering crashed against my ear canals with the force of a tsunami. I winced and shot a grumpy look at the guy who at least had the decency to look apologetic.

"What?" I could barely hear myself talking, imagine that.

"Just wanted to say 'Hi,' that's all!" Spiky blond hair, sky blue eyes, optimistic personality, well hello there Mr. Anime Protagonist! "You seemed like the calmest out of them so I have chosen you to be my first friend here!"

"Are you serious right now?" His first friend, really? Was now really the time? Did he not realize that we're in a different world, that our very lives and sanity could be in danger? We could die here, or worse yet, become a measly incubus whose only purpose would be to serve as proof of monsters winning-

"Heck yeah! I mean, this is like our new adventure!" He gushed in excitement, ignoring the still-raging cries of the masses. Though, admittedly, they were slowly being placated by the priest. Maybe the guards that arrived to examine the source of all the noise helped in that regard, "This is Monster Girl Encyclopedia, right? Even though it's not my favorite setting, we're still in a completely different world, with heroes and magic!"

"And monsters." I added. Can't forget the lynchpin of the entire world concept.

"And mamono, yeah. Just think of all the people we can meet! I, personally, want to check out the underwater kingdoms," His smile became wishful, "The seas and oceans aren't very explored, you know? And here they have entire civilization living below the waves, even a goddess!"

Nice to have a dream, I guess.

"Careful with what you wish for, buddy. Or they'll drag you down before you can blink, and force you to spend the next few centuries as a breeding bull."

"A husband," He wagged his finger at me, "And I'll be sure to be extra careful! Anyway, I'm Derek, nice to meet you!" He extended his hand and grinned in anticipation.

"Damien," I returned the handshake with some hesitation, "Well, you certainly seem excited. Any ideas on where we're going?"

"Hm, the priest did say something about us being spiritually talented, so I guess it's one of the more mystical Institutions," He crossed his arms in thoughts before snapping his fingers, "Oh! Maybe we can become covenanters! I'd love to contract an elemental and be like 'fireball!' and 'earth spikes!'"

"A mage, huh?" I scratched the growing stubble on my chin, "The thought is enticing but not without risks. You do know that elementals are very susceptible to demonic energy, right?"

"I do, yeah, but how's that a bad thing?" He seemed honestly confused, "Besides it only makes them more powerful and only a tad bit more-"

"Shush!" I shoved my elbow into his side. Just in time too, the noise started to die down and people could've heard about our quite literally extraterrestrial knowledge. Derek looked confused for a second before his eyes cleared out and he nodded in understanding. Neither of us wanted to let others know that we were aware of this reality.

"Ahah, sorry about this!" The priest chuckled after calming the crowd with some help from the guards, "The effect of the calming runes wore off quicker than I expected… In any case, I suppose proper introductions are in order. I am Father Teris, a bishop of our fantastic Order."

"Where are you leading us?" Called a ringing voice from somewhere within the group. When the people parted, a woman in her twenties revealed herself. With a flowing mane black hair and piercing emerald eyes, I'd say she was above average looks-wise. Though I had a feeling that this world would set my bar for female beauty way higher than it was now, and very soon, too.

"To your future homes, I assure you," The priest easily replied, "As you are all spiritually gifted, you qualify for both the Order and Lescatie's branch of the Elemental Faith. When we arrive at our destination, your fate for the foreseeable future shall be decided."

Well, isn't that peachy.

"And… how does that happen?" Another man asked.

"All in due time," Teris nodded at the guard, and they formed a border between us and the rest of the world, "For now, just follow me."

It took us about half an hour to reach a spacious room, not unlike the first one, where several people were already waiting for us. In the otherwise empty room, four distinct sectors were assembled in preparation. A mound of rocks surrounding a miniature mountain that was twice my height, a pool of water with waves constantly crashing against each other for seemingly no reason, a garden of stone poles with strips of cloth attached to them that were being whipped at by the howling winds, and a kiddy pool of napalm. No, I'm not kidding, it was an actual pool filled with liquid fire. There's just no other way to describe it.

Around each prop, so to speak, was a gathering of people in matching monochrome robes with hoods on. Red for Fire, green for Air, light brown for Earth, and light blue for Water. Obviously, mages. Or rather covenanters, as they apparently called themselves.

Curiously, every sector's phenomenon was strictly limited in its area, so the wind of the Air sector didn't encroach on the fires of the Fire sector. And yes, it was extremely easy to deduce what this place was for.

Derek and I shared a look, and, as the rest of the group were recovering from shock, he took a confident step forward. Immediately, the eyes of the entire room were on him.

"This one seems courageous," One of the Reds stage whispered to another, "You think we got ourselves a new initiate?"

"Maybe. There does seem to be quite a lot of applicants," His colleague answered in kind, "To be honest, I wasn't sure this summoning thing would work but…"

"Can we please just get on with it already," A green-robed covenanter groaned, "I have important business to attend to, and no time to waste on this crap."

"Figures that an airhead would reject new blood," A pair of passive ashen mustaches curved beneath one of the brown hoods, "Luckily for you, younglings, there's not much to lose with that path closed."

"You wanna go, old man?!" The air mage's mood completely flipped in the blink of an eye, "Air magic's the best! We've got wind, we've got lightning, we've got storms-!"

"Hey now, hey there," Came a drowsy voice from the Water sector, "Let's not fight, not again, yes?" The covenanter's robe distorted and stretched in odd places, then a silver flask levitated itself from the robe's hem and into the deeper parts of the hood. A hearty gulp was heard by everyone not a second later, "W-we're all friends, all comrades, yes?"

"Bloody drunks," Muttered the first Red. Then, louder, "Anyway! Welcome to our little testing room. I am Antonio Rivardi, a covenanter to a fire elemental. These are my fellow covenanters, ranging from very fellow to barely fellow."

All as one, they took off their hoods. Antonio turned out to be a stout-looking man in his prime with short blond hair and brown eyes. He looked like one would imagine a soldier or a Hollywood actor. The rest had wildly ranging looks, from a walking super grandad wearing a brown robe to the barely upright twig with half-lidded eyes clad in blue.

"Breathtaking!" Father Teris clapped his hands, "I hope you're as excited as I am. Are you ready to release the spirits?"

"Yeah-yeah, we've been ready for hours now," The blond youth in green grumbled, "Hopefully, we'll be done before the complex blows up."

"Wait, what?!" The Air mage next to him recoiled, "Verne, what did you do?!"

"Oh, uh…" Verne gulped not unlike the Water covenanter from earlier, "I might've been checking out if the new storm runes work properly with armor but forgot to… contain them?"

Jacking as the older man whirled around to stare at some place on the wall, the ground below us shook. Nothing big, just a little tremor. However, the way the whole room froze implied that this was something serious. The earthlings, me included, just stood there silently, unsure of what to do.

"Verne…" The man ground out, "If we have to rebuild the Academy again, I swear to the Wind, I'll-"

Before he could finish, however, the earth quaked once more. The second Fire mage flinched before collapsing undo his knees.

"My lab… Years of research, lava bomb prototypes… All gone…"

Antonio awkwardly glanced at us, and lowered himself to console his grieving friend, "It's okay, Henry, we'll build a new one. We always do."

In otherwise complete silence, there was a synchronized sigh from the Earth covenanter who then hid their faces within the palms of their hand in a single and doubtlessly practiced motion.

"Younglings, follow me," The mustache man's voice was grave.

"Sir, yes sir." The rest of the Browns echoed, and together they marched across the room until they stopped in front of the Water sector.

Without saying a single word, the blue robes twisted and bulged before each shooting a flask at the Earth mages. Effortlessly catching the projectiles, the Browns returned to their spot.

There was an echoing gulp as the Blues each took a swing from yet another flask.

…

"Awesome!" Derek jumped up and down, "Man, these guys are amazing! When can we join?!"

"S-soon, I assure you," The priest chuckled uneasily, "Judging by the force of the tremor, it's a grade A event. We'll have to rebuild the Academy from scratch… Again. Ah, people won't be happy, not at all…"

He made a gesture with his hands causing a soft golden glow to appear all over his body. When it was gone, there was no trace of weariness to speak of.

"Outstanding expenses await us! I'm afraid I am needed elsewhere, so I depend on you to finish this part. Please listen to the most esteemed covenanters." Father Teris waved at us before snapping his fingers. The white robes lit up once again, and when the light was gone, so was he.

"My sincerest apologies," Ruefully laughed the Moustache, "This happens every once in a while, so we're mostly used to eat. After all, the Academy is full of dangerous inventions. Luckily for you, this means that most of the student spots are open now! In other words, prepare to receive more attention from your tutors. Now then, if we're quite done with senseless destruction?"

All the covenanters slammed their legs into the floor as one, creating a pulse that spread across the room. Soon, the sectors began to bubble, boil, and otherwise become manic. Before long, in response to a couple horrified shrieks from the audience, the entire room simply erupted into lights.

A tidal wave of blue motes rising up from beneath the waves, tongues of fire detaching drifting in the air like embers, gouts of winds tearing through whatever barrier held them, and tiny specks of sand bursting in every direction like spores.

This is what magic looked like here.

I felt my breath hitch at the sight of the kaleidoscope of colors rushing towards us but my body was otherwise frozen in pure awe. Beautiful. Magic was beautiful. The carvings upon the walls of this Grand Cathedral? Dirt. The elegance of that green-eyed girl from earlier? Dust. This…

This was true beauty.

However, when I reached out to touch a spark of crimson passing by, it nimbly evaded my fingers. A swift breeze did the same when I tried to snatch it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some of the lights settle unto other earthlings before bursting in intensity. The elementals were choosing their wielders, I realized.

I took a deep breath and stood still. Would I become a Fir covenanter? Or perhaps a Wind one? I wasn't sure which one I preferred but-

"Woah!" Huh? "Do you want to join too? Sure thing!"

Too?!

I snapped my head to the side to see Derek just stand there smiling. On his left shoulder was a gout of fire. His right was covered in rock.

Two.

He was chosen by two elementals. No one else was, I checked. I brief look around confirmed my earlier observation, only Derek had two elementals choose him. Protagonist my ass…

The show of lights stopped before I could process it. Just like that, the elementals were gone. Nothing changed for me. I felt the same. The girl from earlier had wind playing with her hair. Another tried to catch a blob of water that was running him up and down.

Derek was trying to put out the fire in his hair with a hand covered in stone.

Unfair.

Why wasn't I picked? Was I really not that important? This world… it was supposed to be wish fulfillment. You learned some cool magicks, picked up martial arts, got yourself a beautiful wife or two, or three, or four… And lived a happy life.

Granted, I never planned on becoming just another incubus but I could've at least been allowed to become a mage! And it wasn't like I didn't have the talent since I was here in the first place, I just wasn't good enough to be chosen!

I blinked away the sting in my eyes, and when I opened them, there were only two people left. Me, and some other guy, looking just as dejected as I imagined myself to be.

He turned to me and we just stared at each other. Dark brown eyes, medium length black hair, if not for the lack of glasses and a slightly different facial structure, I'd say I was looking at myself.

"Damien," I followed the sudden impulse, "Nice… to meet you."

"George," He replied after a pause, "Yeah…"

We broke eye contact and began waiting. There was nothing to do, not really. Well, maybe except for exploring the sectors but was really not in the mood for that.

Welcome to your new adventure, bud. Where the world is slowly slipping into the oblivion of stagnation, the monsters are the good guys, and the humans you've found yourself aligned with are the villains. The Chief God is fighting a losing battle, the Demon Lord has the support of an ever-growing population of sex-crazed creatures, and you are left without a single power to hold your own.

Maybe I should just hand myself in to the monsters and spend the rest of my life brainwashed into being the perfect husband for some random fetish abomination?

"Ah, gentlemen," A slick voice dripping with amusement echoed throughout the chamber, "Truly, I am glad that there are still some candidates left."

I turned my head to see a middle-aged man in snugly fitting robes of pitch black. He had icy blue eyes that briefly skimmed over me and George without making eye contact and perfectly combed midnight black hair to match his robes.

"My, whatever can I do in such a miserable situation?" His smile was as soothing as poison, yet as jagged as cliffside rocks, "Why, I am left with no choice but to take you two poor strays in!"

He placed his arms behind his back as he walked towards us with rhythmic, measured steps. Finally, he stopped and just grinned at us.

"I, am Father Klaus. The Order would appreciate new blood."

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 2.


"Where are we going?"

Father Klaus was currently leading us through the corridors of the same building we were summoned in. Despite making several turns, the layout and design hadn't changed in the lightest, implying that this place was way bigger than I originally thought. This Cathedral truly was Grand.

"Good, I was waiting for you to ask that," He said without so much as pausing, "See, the Cathedral of Lescatie is divided into several sections, each belonging to the division of the Order. The hall you and yours were summoned to was the Main Nave, where most of the public services are held. The covenanters greeted you in an embassy of sorts, a room made specifically for interactions between the Order and members of the Elemental Faith. You'll learn about the rest later but our current destination is the headquarters of the Evervigil. Your new home, if you will."

"Evervigil?" Warily asked George. My thoughts probably echoed his but I decided to keep them to myself, for now, "Like the police or something?"

"Yes, I believe you could say that," I could hear the smug smirk even without seeing Father Klaus' face, "We are indeed a… police force of sorts, tasked with maintaining order within our beloved kingdom. Although, we do not have the jurisdiction to operate beyond them, despite what some people may tell you. After all, our job is only to ensure humanity's safety, nothing more, nothing less."

Well, that doesn't sound fishy at all, no sir. Let's see, black robes, sarcastic smirk, a 'police force' called the Evervigil… Welcome to the Inquisition, I guess. And remember, you're here forever!

I glanced and George only to see him squinting at the priest's back. Maybe he didn't figure it out yet. Shrugging, I continued to follow Father Klaus down the hallway. Absentmindedly, I began to mimic the echo of his footsteps inside my head, trying to make out a beat out of them. Imagine my surprise when I realized that his feet touched the ground with a seemingly perfect interval of one second. Now, I wasn't an AI, so I couldn't tell for sure but that was some impressive control. Or just an OCD.

Regardless, the rest of the way we spent in silence, though I did busy myself with trying to match my footsteps with the priest's. I wasn't sure I could've sneaked past a werewolf of any kind but I did pretty well by the end of our trip, methinks.

Suddenly stopping in front of an ornate door at the end of one the corridors, Father Klaus turned to face us within a single smooth motion.

"Finally, we have arrived. Please, make yourself comfortable."

In response to his words, the doors slowly swung open, carved angels being consumed by shadows as the gaping abyss opened its maw. A second later, blinding right assaulted my vision as countless crystals that were embedded within the walls of the exposed room lit up.

Blinking the unshed tears away, I was finally able to make out a barely decorated room whose only objects of interest were several chairs located in the very middle, and a perfect circle carved into the floor. There weren't even any windows from what I could see.

Father Klaus gestured at the chairs, which my companion and I hesitantly occupied. Not like we had any real choice in the first place.

The chairs were surprisingly comfortable to sit in, despite being made completely out of wood. If anything, they resembled those cliché office chairs, except with some sort of wool as padding.

Actually, scratch that, these were extremely good to sit in. I could feel the soft texture of the seat bounce under my weight, maintaining the balance between frigidness and flexibility. I couldn't help but lean into its soft embrace as my eyes slowly began to close…

"Hey now, don't fall asleep just yet." An amused voice tore me out of Morpheus' embrace, "After all, you haven't even received membership marks."

"…membership marks?" George quietly drawled beside me, "W-what do you mean…?"

"Indeed. You shall see after I'm done." There was a weak gasp of surprise, "This might sting a bit."

There was some noise around me but I honestly couldn't care less. Man, I want a bed made of this thing… And blankets… And pillows… Oh, that would be amazing…

I didn't notice when the sounds stopped but I did feel fingers brush against my hair with some detachment. Was I about to get a haircut?

And then something stabbed me in the head. I wanted to yell in surprise at the sudden occurrence. I wanted to scream in pain as something began to spread from the wound and wrap around my head.

But I just didn't want to. Why should I, when whatever pain I felt was completely negated by the overwhelming feeling of belonging that took over my senses? So I just smiled and let it be.

Soon, however, I felt something grab me by the shoulders and forcefully lift from the divine chair. I tried to resist but… meh.

Not like I was in any danger or anything- Huh?

The moment my feet touched the solid stone floor, I whirled around to glare at the smirking priest.

"What the hell was that? What happened, what did you do?!"

Was it some sort of calming runes again?! Was I being brainwashed?! Bad, this was very bad…

"Fear not, just a specialized calming effect," Father Klaus then waved a metal rod glowing white that he held in his hand, "The procedure can be quite taxing, so the Order decided to take some precaution. Now, do keep your composure."

Before I could process what was happening, he tapped his boot against the floor and it visibly caved in. And I mean the whole floor jerked down, not just a small area. The circle we've been standing on hissed as it began to descend, the illuminated ceiling of the chair room drawing further and further away. Although the chairs did remain attached to the floor we stood on.

"What, what is this thing?!"

I looked at George and froze. His head, beneath the hair I could see something foreign, glowing lines the color of molten gold wiggling and bending and turning and twisting-

"That is just a membership mark. Did I not explain it already?" The priest's voice felt as insufferable as it possibly could right now.

"That thing does not look like a normal tattoo," I ground out. The sheer tension of this conversation was deeply unsettling to me but I had to know what this thing was. The benefits of being aware far outweighed the potential risks.

"Correct, it is not. This of it as a mind shield, of sorts. All kinds of dangers lurk around, and there has to be at least one safe haven."

I fell silent as we continued to descend. A mark to protect one's mind? Were there dream-hopper monsters here too? No matter how much I practiced back on Earth, I never figured out how to become a lucid dreamer. If a monster caught me off guard while having the field advantage, I'd be in for a lot of trouble…

"So they, prevent those monsters you mentioned from reading our thoughts or something?" George questioned.

"Well yes, but actually no. It does something much better." Father Klaus chuckled in response.

"What?" I couldn't help but ask.

"It invites them in, instead."

On that ominous note, the platform came to a halt. However, that was the least of my concerns right now.

"Invites them?" He was joking, right? "How is that supposed to help?!"

The priest clicked his tongue and turned to study mine and George's ashen faces. Coming to some conclusion, he sighed and gestured for us to follow him.

"I guess a small detour is in order. I shall explain as we go."

A brief look around revealed a hall rivaling the Main Nave in size, a stone dome with dozens of pathways leading in different directions. Were these the aforementioned Headquarters?

"Among the countless enemies that humanity faces, the most dangerous ones would be the succubi," Father Klaus began as he headed towards one of the openings, "Although, technically speaking all monsters are succubi these days. Regardless, they, and a few others, such as Nightmares, possess a rather frightening ability to invade the dreams of others. Unprepared for such an exoteric assault, most humans are left defenseless and quickly fall prey to the monster. The first designs of the mark you two now bear were with simple defense in mind. It strengthened the spirit and allows humans to withstand such attacks. However, turns out that resistance only agitates most monsters even further. Eventually, the shields were broken and humans were left defenseless once more."

He paused to turn around and grin at our attentive expressions.

"Don't worry, this story has a happy ending. Anyway, some of the best scholars of the Order came together to solve this problem. After all, you can't exactly fight someone who is aware of your every thought and scheme. Then, one of them had a genius idea: instead of challenging the monsters to scale our walls, why don't we trick them into entering our prisons? And so, the design of the enchantment was forever changed. No longer does keep things out, now its only purpose is to keep things in."

That… while a fascinating story, it didn't make any sense.

"How does keeping things in keep the monster out," George echoed my thoughts out loud, "Why would you want to have your mind invaded?"

"Curious, are you? No worries, I was the same, once," The priest wistfully smiled, "Here, let me show you."

We turned around a corner and came face to steel with a… dungeon? Prison? There were rows upon rows of cages embedded in the walls of the cavern we found ourselves in. Despite the eerie silence, I could clearly see people chained up by their wrists and ankles stacked behind the bars of metal.

None of them made a sound.

"This is our Intelligence branch. Here we place those who had their mind invaded, and were unable to secure their well-being. Naturally, each and every one of them fell under the monsters' control but… Well, thanks to the mark, those minds became prisons. Here, the Evervigil extract information about monster hideouts, as well as keep our hands on the pulse of the monster society. Very useful, let me tell you."

"You mean t-those are all monsters?" George's voice was feeble, though I could hardly blame him. The sight left my own throat drier than the Sahara Desert.

"Mentally, yes. Would you like to converse?"

Without waiting for our response, Father Klaus walked up to the closest cage. After sharing an uneasy look, George and I forced our wobbling legs to follow the priest.

Chained to the wall, there was a man. Young, probably late teens or early twenties, gaunt from what was probably malnutrition, with ribs visibly sticking out from his sides. His eyes constantly darted around the cage in panic but he didn't seem to notice our approach.

"The cages impede both sound and visibility." The robed man clarified, "Here, let me change it up a bit."

He tapped one of the steel bars, and a soft glow filled the cage. I have long since begun to associate the light with some unique brand of Order magic. Hopefully, they'll let us learn some of it.

The change was immediate. The man curled up on himself, leaving red trails where the shackles bound his limbs. He couldn't do much but he did his best to move as far away from Father Klaus as possible, whimpering all the way.

"P-please, let me go…" The man began to tear up, "I just- I just wanted to help him!"

"Fascinating, isn't it?" The priest winked at us, "Despite having an entirely different behavioral pattern, the body still functions the same way. It thinks like a monster, acts like a monster, speaks like a monster, and yet talks like a man. Perfect infiltrators, especially considering that they can shuffle through the host's memories. For the first few hours, it tried to convince us that we had the wrong man entirely."

"He, he couldn't sustain his family, I just wanted to help…" The prisoner continued to whisper weakly, "All alone… His children were starving, and your Order did nothing about it! I had to help!"

"And as to how these marks are supposed to protect you… You see, at some point, your mind will definitely be invaded by one of these. That moment is what we of the Evervigil consider a Rite of Passage. You are aware that such a battle is possible. You know that this attack will come someday. Your level of preparedness depends on how well you've learned your lessons. If you are victorious, the Order gets a new member of the highest quality whose mind we know can be trusted to keep our secrets. And if you lose, well, I have little doubt that the monster that would take over could provide some valuable information."

"You have to help me! They aren't human, they're bigger monsters than we are-"

Father Klaus snapped his fingers, cutting off the sound.

"And that is what the marks are for. Satisfied?"

I watched, helplessly, as the man violently tugged at the shackles and his mouth opened in a silent scream. I didn't know what to think. On one hand, this was horrible. Back on Earth, it would probably count as a war crime or something, and just seeing this in person, hearing the desperate pleas… It tore at my heart.

But on the other hand, the monster openly admitted to invading an innocent's mind. More than that, it was someone who had a family. Children. What was the purpose? Was the man to be whisked away to live in perceived happiness, leaving his starving family alone? That was just plain inhumane. Inhuman.

What was I supposed to do?

"Father Klaus," George sounded strained. The ordeal seemed to have much more effect on him than on me, if that was even possible, "T-the chairs. Why did the chairs make me so sleepy?"

Ah, trying to change the topic, I see. Yes, I could use something more lighthearted-

"Hm? Oh, the weresheep wool? Vicious pests, those are, much to the surprise of many a farmer. Their wool is naturally enchanted, however, to keep them extremely docile and practically harmless. We harvest it for various purposes, including the padding to soothe the patients during some of the more… exotic… procedures. We're on somewhat of a tight schedule but they are being held just a few turns away from here, so I guess a little demonstration can't hurt. Shall we?"

 

[subsider34]

Well, this is certainly a very interesting start to the story. I'm not sure I've ever read a take on the Order as the Inquisition like this. I eagerly look forward to reading more.

 

[Raybomber]

Love the take on this setting, eagerly awaiting more.

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 3.


Fortunately, the weresheep escaped our grasp, for the time being. Right after we exited the, eh, questioning area, Father Klaus stopped and cupped his ear with his palm. I saw a weak glow coming from between his finger, so magic was definitely involved.

"Change of plans, it seems. We need to get you two indoctrinated into the Order as soon as possible."

George and I had no choice but to follow, joining the priest in his march towards some unknown destination.

"Ehm, Sir?" George suddenly inquired, "What will happen to us now?"

"Now?" Our guide hummed, "Now your training will begin as proper. You are not the Evervigil quite yet and are unlikely to become such anytime soon, so we'll just have to work on that."

We quieted down after that but I couldn't shake off the feeling of wrongness. Besides the whole dungeons for mind trapped monster things, I mean. Something was off, some obscure nuisance kept me glancing behind as if hoping to see the chained up man who would explain everything to me.

"Is something the matter?" A level voice startled me, causing me to flinch, "Do you feel disturbed?"

"N-no, it's not that," I gulped, "The monsters from earlier… If you only need them for information, then why are there so many of them? Do possessions happen that often?"

The other option was the Evervigil's ineptitude but for some reason I didn't feel like mentioning that particular tidbit. On another note, things clicked into place, somewhat. The burst of adrenaline managed to speed up my thought process, bringing me to the desired conclusion. I breathed out in relief.

Father Klaus snickered. He actually snickered, a jagged, rough sound that devolved into barking laughter. Somehow, it didn't feel malicious but satisfied instead.

"Wonderful question, acolyte! Indeed, we do not keep them out of the goodness of our hearts, for they beat for humanity only. Tell me, what do you think is it exactly that we of the Evervigil do?"

"Hunt monsters?" George joined the conversation, "Root out heretics?"

"That too, yes. But little do people know that we also dabble in research, similarly to the Academy. Where they specialize in the elements, terraforming the land, developing new spells, and other flashy things like that, we, who lack the aid of elementals, cultivate our skills in manipulating pure spirit energy."

"So, we can use magic too?" I tried to keep the excitement out of my voice. I failed.

"In a way, yes," Father Klaus smiled, "Other branches of the Order practice healing or protection magic at most but the Evervigil decided to focus on enchantments and artifacts. I highly doubt you'd see any of the more accomplished members anywhere close to a battlefield. Father Ferdinand is a prime example: the man never leaves his lab. As a matter of fact, we're going to visit him right now."

"That's… good to know and all but how is that related to all those imprisoned monsters?" Being an artificer didn't sound too bad, to be honest. Crafting mighty weapons and legendary artifacts prophesized quite a lot of fun.

"Just a second," The priest made a sharp turn, almost causing us to bump into each other. With a wave of his hand, a dead end in front of us shimmered and dispersed like a dandelion under a gust of wind, "Father Ferdinand, I have the acolytes!"

The room we found ourselves in looked like a wicked parody of a dollhouse. It was spacious, undoubtedly, but the sheer amount of furniture and esoteric equipment made everything seem very small. Couches were placed right beside the desks full of flasks with mysterious solutions boiling inside of them, a single bed shared a corner with a plain-looking wardrobe and a coat hanger.

Actually, now that I think about it, the furniture you'd usually expect to see at a normal house was located only next to the walls, leaving the middle to the… were those operating tables?

"Oh, if it isn't Father Klaus! And some new faces too, how exciting!"

A tall slender man emerged from beneath one of the blanketed tables and approached us with a joyous smile. He had soft features and striking green eyes that contrasted very well with his flowing crimson hair. I had to do a double take at the sight, as he indeed had a sleek mane the color of freshly spilled blood.

The black robes he wore were exactly the same as Father Klaus', though the latter kept them closed shut instead of allowing them to flutter in the invisible wind.

Actually, how was he doing that?

"Curious about my robes, are you now?" I shivered when the man looked at me. Despite his easygoing personality, he gave me the chills, "It's just a simple enchantment, nothing more. I can teach you later if you want me to. I'd say the ladies love it but, well, for some reason they don't." He laughed.

"That's because you're talking about monsters, Ferdinand. Of course those creatures would dislike the heights of progress we've reached, even if it's just textiles."

"'Creatures'? Really, Klaus? Those 'creatures' as you call them are practically the best thing to happen to us since Chief God! Have you even seen them? The diversity, the possibilities, the myriads of myriads of powers, traits, and properties, the entire mamono race is a gift from the Chief God!"

I- What?

Was he for real? I glanced at George, who was unusually silent and then at Father Klaus, who just seemed exasperated.

"How many times did I tell you to curb those speeches of yours, Ferdinand? If anyone from the other branches were to hear, we'd have problems abound. I have little desire to sully my hands with internal politics."

"Always so sour, Klaus. Never change. Besides, you know I never leave this room. And that's ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the Order and essentially all of Lescatie are not even aware of our existence."

"Paranoia is the name of the game, old friend. One can't be too cautious." Father Klaus shook his head before turning to me and George, "Anyway, these two are our new acolytes, as you might've guessed. Do you have the amulets ready?"

"Almost done with the second one, as a matter of fact," Father Ferdinand smiled demurely, "Would you like to watch?"

Before we could mutter a word, the black-haired priest answered for us.

"They would, yes. In fact, they were just asking about the Dreamcatchers after they have fulfilled their duty."

"Really now? Marvelous, simply marvelous. Come on, let me show you!"

The willing prisoner giggled and sped towards one of the operating tables. In a single dramatic motion, he took off the cover, revealing a pudgy man in his forties. Well, he would've been pudgy if he still had any fat, right now his skin was just layered on top of his withered body.

"This one's been with us for several weeks now," Ferdinand began, "He was one of the officials of the City Guard, though I have no idea what this particular succubus found interesting about him. Oh well, mamono psychology isn't exactly my field of expertise. In any case, this here is a trapped succubus who parted with all the information we needed. At this point, other branches of the Order would've just buried the body, after killing the mamono, of course, we're not monsters. Except for maybe Holy Heralds, our Public Relations branch enjoys their theatrical executions way too much. They even pump these dummies with demonic energy to keep them energized and outspoken. Regardless, we do it differently around here. See these runes?"

Father Ferdinand brushes some of the body's hairs aside to reveal a glowing pattern of lines and symbols, not unlike the one I saw on George. And the one that was most definitely located on my scalp.

He then pointed to a specific set of scribbles that looked like several stylized spirals combining together.

"This is the Oblivion Formation. It goes very well with the Dreamcatcher, that's what the whole thing is called, by the way, making for a perfect combination," Ferdinand gently traced the pulsating lines, "While the Dreamcatcher keeps the mamono inside, the Oblivion Formation works its magic on their minds, wiping the memory. Now hear me out, it's not as bad as it sounds! Think of it as death from poisoning, with the duration depending on mental fortitude of the target. Usually, it takes only about a week or so but some mamono resist for up to a month. Anyway, once their mind is clean, the real magic happens. Watch this."

He reached into one of the nearby drawers and pulled out a transparent jewel barely smaller than my fist. Its surface was covered in runes akin to the ones decorating our heads. He held the gem gently like one would a precious memento from their loved one, and I could see his emerald eyes sparkle not unlike the gem itself.

Slowly, he extended his hand and tapped the body's forehead with the flat surface of the crystal. Immediately, the runes flashed and faint smoke could be seen rising from beneath the closed eyelid. Within seconds of revealing itself, the fog was gently guided and sucked into the gemstone, making it cloudy.

Eventually, Father Ferdinand lifted up the stone presented it to us.

"And that is one of the Evervigil's main secrets of the trade. To this day, no one but us knows how to create sentient artifacts. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, this is how Cursed Swords and Living Armors came to be, although by now they can appear even without our involvement. Gargoyles too, I think."

He pulled out an ornate amulet from somewhere, a beautiful yet humble-looking trinket made of silver and steel, and placed the gem into an empty slot at its center. In one swift motion, he threw the amulet over my neck before pressing it against my chest.

To the side, I saw Father Klaus pick up another amulet and mimic the procedure on George.

"There we go," He grinned, "Now let me tell what these do. First of all, they help you protect the Order. Even though your minds are secure, your bodies are not, so the intelligence locked in these artifacts are instructed by the runes to help you keep your secrets to yourself. And, considering how some of the monsters operate, they will do so even against your wishes. Secondly, they have several minor spells implanted within to help you defend yourself, should the need arise, and can act as foci to aid you in mastering spirit energy. They also act as identification so please keep them visible."

"But what if the monsters try to take it off?" George asked as he pulled at the chain wrapped around his neck. I took a second to trace the one wrapped around my own neck.

"Impossible," Ferdinand waved absent-mindedly, "Your spine will break before the amulet does, so have no worries!"

"Indeed. Well, I believe we are done for now," Father Klaus clapped his hands once, "I shall now lead you to your rooms, training starts tomorrow."

I rubbed my new trinket, trying to get used to its textures and general feeling. This was supposed to help me learn magic, right? Guess I know what I'm doing tonight.

We left Father Ferdinand to his devices, literally, and headed somewhere. I honestly had no idea how to navigate in this underground labyrinth of ominousness, so I let my legs carry me instead while I examined my new memories.

Discovery number one: The Order was decidedly different from what it was in both Monster Girl Encyclopedia and Monster Girl Quest. Instead of a bunch of hateful self-righteous morons leading armies of kind-hearted naïve youths against monsters, we have a complex organization of industrialized warfare.

Propaganda? Ferdinand mentioned the Holy Herald who apparently took care of instilling hatred of monsters into the common man, and were generally considered as the 'face' of the Order. Research and Development? The Evervigil seemed to combine that with being the bleeping Inquisition, and were scary good at it too if I do say so myself.

And considering how they were apparently an unknown even to the rest of the Order, they were also the Illuminati of this setting. To paraphrase a certain manly man who was gay married to two Aztec vampire demigods of Fitness…

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

Klaus dropped us off at the two humble looking wooden doors but not before ensuring that we connect them to our amulets. He left right after.

Now, I could've tried to explore the headquarters of the Evervigil on my own but I really didn't want to get lost in this place, so I bid George good night and entered my room.

It was nice. A classic medieval monastic quarter, with just a few more creature comforts. The bed had pearly white blankets and was accurately tucked in, the wardrobe stood its guard right beside the door, and the lonely desk occupied an entire wall all by itself. Judging by the number of scratches and holders, it was also to serve as a crafting table later on.

The more important item of interest, however, was a bookshelf. A glorious bookshelf illuminated by the glowing crystal embedded into the ceiling, it was positively brimming with books. Red covers, white covers, black covers, dark brown covers, and gray covers each occupied a separate section of the shelf. Thematically sorted, apparently.

Wasting no time, I walked up to the prehistoric database and picked a book at random. A white hardcover book with "Holy Heralds: The Voice of Heaven" laid out in golden thread. Interesting. What if…?

I managed to find the black-clad "Evervigil: The All-Seeing Eye," and a "Purgatorio: The Price of Redemption" wrapped in brown. If I'm not mistaken, which I doubt, then these colors correlate with the robes members of the Order wear. For example, Father Klaus and Father Ferdinand wore black robes while being part of the Evervigil. Father Teris had white robes, so, I guess, that made him a Holy Herald? Apparently, there was another branch called Purgatorio. Pretty menacing, if you ask me.

The gray books turned out to be about general things, such as various nations of humanity, the history of Lescatie, and some general information about the Order. Red books, on the other hand, were about monsters. An entire section's worth of encyclopedias, full of types, traits, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and so much more. Where to find a Tsuchigumo, and how to survive until daybreak, Witcher style. What are the signs of a graveyard or crypt being inhabited by the undead, and just how far did one need to run away at the sight of a dragon.

It was fascinating. The sheer volume and density of information made me feel like I found a treasure chest. No, a treasure trove. When I was younger, my own bookshelves were filled with animal encyclopedias, both historical and fictional, ranging from dinosaurs to hydras and trolls. And this… this was all real.

I could find a dragon and witness its fiery breath. I could raid a pyramid and encounter a pharaoh. I could descend deep beneath the waves and find an entire kingdom of fantastic creatures to explore. I could catch a fairy and watch it flutter in a small lantern, helplessly beating against the glass walls of its inescapable prison-

Stop.

Calm down.

Breathe in… Breathe out…

Where was I again?

Ah, yes, the red books contained a deliciously wide range of information, even though it was all centered on monsters. Not a big problem, considering there was an entire bookshelf's worth of other topics.

Leaving the books alone, for now, I opened the wardrobe and saw several stacks of gray robes laying on the bottom.

"Not black?" I pondered out loud, "Following the color code provided by the books, this should be the general attire for acolytes… Oh well, not a big loss."

I stripped out of my street clothes, placing them on one of the wardrobe's internal platforms, and grabbed the book with the general information about the Order. Getting into the bed, I started to hum as I opened the book and engrossed myself in reading.

The Order turned out to be an absolutely wild mix of branches, division, and sub-divisions. First of all, it split right at its very base into two main groups: The Order of the Word, and The Order of the Deed. Despite both being militarized, the latter was entirely focused on preparing soldiers and Heroes, and as such was much more combat-oriented.

The Order of Holy Knights, a division of the Order of the Deed specialized in getting Heroes and other upper tier warriors ready for battle. Intense training regimes, strict discipline, and full support of the other divisions of the Order ensured that these warriors will not be found wanting. On paper, at least.

The rest of this military branch was The Order of Stalwart Shields. This was everyone else. Regular army, city guards, 'mercenaries that have nothing to do with the Order and are just minding their own business,' etc. At the most basic level, the Order of the Deed was divided into the cool kids and the meatshields, the former to do things, and the latter to have things done to them. Terrible, morally questionable, and very likely inappropriate for underage audiences things.

The Order of the Word was us. Well, we were a part of it. Earlier, I ended up guessing correctly, as there were three main divisions of this particular Order: the Evervigil, the Holy Heralds, and the Purgatorio. Black, white, and dark brown robes respectively.

Now, the book mentioned only the latter two branches, so the Illuminati theory can be considered confirmed for now. The book I was reading seemed like a public use one, so the common man really had no idea who the Evervigil were. It did mention the Witch Hunters though, who just so happened to be wearing black but they were described as simple hunting squads with no greater power, except for the Order itself, backing them. Amusing, to say the least.

The other two divisions had their duties evenly split. The Heralds made sure that The People loved the Order and hated the monsters, while the Purgatorio were tasked with preventing monsters from making a counterpoint. In other words, the first were facing humanity with a smile on their face, while the latter burned down everything that was on the other side of the barricades.

The book even dictated the proper waves to behave yourself in the presence of each Order. Follow the White Robes, Respect the Brown Robes, and Aid the Black Robes. Propaganda at its finest.

Though that is not to say that the Order ruled Lescatie as a whole. It was a partial truth because they had great sway with the populace but Lescatie still had a King and his Royal Family. Very convenient, considering that the blame for high taxes fell almost entirely on said King.

Just skimming through the book and combining it with what I've learned, and seen, today, I'd say that the Order was very well off. Technology, both mundane and magic, was slowly advancing forward, monsters were prevented from entering human nations, and those that managed this feat were swiftly rooted out. However, there was just one tiny little detail that I happened to know due to my extraterrestrial origin.

Druella.

I don't know how. I don't know when. But at some time. Some place. Druella will launch an attack on Lescatie. It could be happening right now, for all I knew. And, despite the sheer difference between the laughing stock that was the canonical Order and the calibrated war machine that it actually is, I sincerely doubted that Druella would lose.

Being a Lilim, one of the daughters of the current Demon Lord, she was a succubus of immense power. She also had authority over monsters, not that it was difficult to motivate them with acquiring husbands in the first place. So, I should be fully expecting an army's worth of beasties to roll up right at our doorstep and demand we open the main gates to 'let the Love in.'

Let's sum everything up: First, we have a small apocalypse coming our way. Second, due to being a part of what amounted to Kingsmen, except composed of religious fanatics, I highly doubted that I could just 'disappear' from the records. Finally, regardless of the actions I could take in the short-term, I had only two options overall.

One led me to being horribly executed as a traitor to humanity if I got caught, and let me live a long life full of nothing but copulation if I managed to escape the Order's grasp.

The other forced me to commit what was technically a violation of basic human rights if I wanted to stay alive and well, and being horribly mind-raped and/or killed if I got caught by the monsters.

This is a bit difficult to say but I'd prefer to be alive, A, and not brainwashed into being a perfect husband, B. Of course, I was aware that 'good' monster girls existed, even though I couldn't think of any from the top of my head, but the chances of running into any of them without raising suspicions from the Order were slim.

Sigh.

I put the book away and wrapped myself inside a blanket cocoon. I wonder if monsters would just consider me a Caterpillar Man and go away? 'We only need human husbands,' and all that.

Man, life was hard. I wish I could be like Derek and just enjoy my life to the fullest. And my two swanky elementals.

…

You know what, maybe I will. Even without the elementals, this place wasn't that bad if one ignored the whole Spanish Inquisition shtick. Yeah. I could enjoy life too. With pyres and torture chambers...

So comfortable…

…How are the amulets supposed to prevent us from divulging secrets, anyway?

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 4.


When I woke up, the light was still on. It may sound trivial but it was actually a major cause for concern. I can't fall asleep if I'm distracted, especially by lights or sounds. Physically. And if something seems impossible on the first glance…

I angled my face and pressed it into the pillow. Immediately, fatigue started to build up within my body, a pleasant warmth that almost forcefully tried to drag me into the oblivion of sleep. Before it was too late, I bit my lip and recoiled from the bed, hopping off of it.

"Weresheep wool, huh?"

I checked my lip to see if it was bleeding. It was dry. Sighing in relief, I buried my head within my palms and groaned.

"What the hell is going on…"

The memories from yesterday were still fresh in my mind, nightmarish visions that I refused to believe to be true. Sure, I rooted for the villain from time to time but encountering such levels of mindfuckery was something else.

Was that how I will end up too? My mind consumed by some monster, then my body tortured to get the information from the said monster, and then locked up in a dungeon until Father Ferdinand deemed the new artifact core to be ripe for picking? Though, granted, I'd be dead right after the first step so the rest didn't really apply to me.

And yet…

The amulet hummed, bringing a pleasant wave of coldness with it. My breathing slowly evened out as my thoughts structured themselves into neat logical chains, devoid of fear and worry. And what was there to worry about?

Yes, I'd very much like to avoid the fate of being mindraped but that would only happen if I lost to the monster, right? I just had to train hard enough, be strong enough, and possess enough mental resilience to kick the invader out of my head. And bam, the future becomes considerably brighter.

I shook my head and lightly slapped myself to fully wake up. A brand new day awaited me.

Carefully putting on the gray robe, and making sure I got all the knots secured, I looked around the room. Nothing changed since yesterday, except for the bed that was no longer neatly made.

I sat down by the desk and thought of what to do next. I couldn't exactly leave the room, since I had no idea of where to go next, and being lost in an underground Inquisitorial labyrinth seemed like a bad idea. The only thing left to do was finding another book to read and waiting for someone to come by and pick me up.

Shrugging, I moved to the bookshelf and looked through the remaining books.

"Monsters of Zipangu, History of Lescatie, Academy of Elemental Faith…" I slightly cringed at the last title. This whole thing was their fault, "Oh, 'Basics of Spirit Energy: How To Cultivate Your Soul.' Sounds interesting."

I opened the book and began reading.

Spirit Energy, or mana, was a type of mystical energy possessed by all living things except for monsters. There were many other names for it, including 'life force' and ki, but it was all the same thing. A metaphysical something that was generated by living beings, including animals and even plants.

Generally speaking, the amount of this 'soul stuff' determined your overall position in the food chain of the world. With plants at the very bottom, followed by animals, then humans, then elves and angels, and, finally, gods. Yes, plural. Apparently, that wasn't just your usual spiel to keep up the morale, gods were very real and very involved in mortal affairs.

Anyway, this meant that, technically, humans were on the bottom of the food chain. Gods and angels told us what to do, monsters followed their own whims no matter what we thought about, and everything sucked.

But.

Once in a while, humans with above average spirit energy were born. It was nothing great, certainly not anywhere near divine level, but it was enough to handle a monster one on one with proper training. Most of such 'chosen ones' were recruited into the Order of Holy Knights, and some even received personal blessings from the Chief God to become proper Heroes.

Alternatively, they were chosen by elementals to become covenanters. The spirits fed on their excess energy and allowed to exert control over their respective element in return. Sometimes, however, elementals would reject a human regardless of their spiritual strength, though the causes for such occurrences were still a mystery…

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

But, it was also possible to manipulate spirit energy directly. That is how Runes and Holy Arts were created, with the former shaping the energy into a fixed pattern that exerted effects onto the physical world, and the latter being closer to the classic magic.

By now, it was pretty obvious that the Order relied heavily on Runes, so I decided to start with those. Grabbing a bookmark from the stack located on the desk, I saved the page I was on, and looked for a book about runes. Unsurprisingly, there was at least one in every section except for red but, since gray indicated general information, I began with those.

…Patterns of spirit energy, invented and reinvented every day, mastered by no one… blah blah Dorothy, blah blah Kansas…

Okay, got it. I put the book aside and closed my eyes. Somewhere deep within me was supposed to be a core, a generator for lack of a better word, that produced spirit energy. I needed to find it.

It being my spiritual center, my heart, brain, and stomach were the most likely location so I directed my attention there. Honestly, I had no idea what exactly I was looking for but I hoped that magical shenanigans would happen, and I could finally get my superpower.

I just sat there like a statue for god only knows how long, trying to persuade myself that my body was magic. It didn't work.

My legs were going numb, my back was itching, and my hair decided that it was the perfect opportunity to poke my eyelid. It was annoying.Very annoying.

Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve, even if I myself forgot about it. It started out like a summer breeze brushing against my chest and echoing through the rest of my body. A tender feeling of comfort that glided along my muscles, traced my nerves, and soothed my weary bones.

Then, it got warmer. And warmer. Then hot.

Soon, my chest was burning up and beads of sweat rolled down my forehead like an avalanche but my eye refused to open. My eyelids were closed shut. It felt as if a sun was shrunken down to the size of my fist and slammed into my sternum, a nuclear reactor core pumping uranium into my blood.

It was painful but also oddly pleasant. Like sore muscles after a lengthy exercise, except the muscles were on fire, the nerves were drenched in acid, and then some genius decided to empty a bucket of cyanide down my throat.

Then, with a gasp, I snapped my eyes open. The light immediately blinded me, eliciting a pained groan. I curled up on the floor, hiding my head with the gray sleeves of my robe, trying to reduce the number of photons bouncing off my face.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I reared my swimming head back and smashed it against the floor, my vision blacking out for a brief second. When I opened my eyes again, it was dark. The crystal in the ceiling was no longer shining.

I looked at it in confusion, still dazed, but then realized that something felt off. My hand blurred to examine my face, and felt flesh. I couldn't find my glasses.

"Ah, shit. Shit shit shit…" I muttered, frantically sliding my hands along the floor, "They have to be here somewhere."

Man, if only-

And like that, the lights were back on. I yelped in surprise, then in relief when I spotted my glasses a fair distance away from me. I quickly put them on, and everything shattered into a million pieces. With a tortured groan, I held the glasses up and beheld a web of cracks spreads across both lenses.

God I hope they have replacements. Or virtually anythingto help with this because right now the whole world was just one big blur of colors.

Io and behold, the same genes that blessed me with genius intellect, incredibly handsome looks, and mesmerizing singing voice, also cursed me with absolutely atrocious eyesight.

"No more books for me, it seems," I whined, and then looked up at the crystal. It was bright and my eyes began to tear up, "Off."

Darkness.

"On?"

Light.

"Sweet."

"Ah, I see you have already made progress," An amused voice echoed from the doorway, "Your initiative is commendable, acolyte."

I turned to look, and… yep, no idea who that is. Though, judging by the tone, I wanted to say Father Klaus but I really didn't want to be mistaken here.

"Oh, uh, good morning, Sir. I wasn't sure if I could leave the room, so I decided to busy myself with literature. You've given me a very exciting collection."

"Glad to hear. Now then, I promised you yesterday that your training begins soon. The time has come."

Father Klaus, and that was definitely him now, shifted and started to move away from me. Grabbing the book on runes, I dropped it on the desk and hurried after the leaving priest. The door sealed shut behind me.

"Father Klaus?" I asked after getting tired of watching illuminated streaks of brown move all around me.

"Yes, acolyte?" The spot where I assumed his head was distorted.

"Do you think I'll be able to get a new pair of glasses anywhere around here? My eyesight is rather poor, and I'm afraid I won't be at my best without them."

"Glasses?" I pulled out the item in question from within my robe and offered it to him, "Interesting. You say these 'glasses' improve your eyesight? Intriguing design but, fortunately for you, we have something of our own that could help."

"Does it involve runes by any chance?" I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"You're a sharp one, aren't you," A chuckle reached my ears, "Yes, Father Ferdinand is capable of performing an operation to improve one's eyesight. We can't have blind agents, after all. Would you like one done now?"

"Now?" I exclaimed, surprised. Isn't there supposed to be a queue, and days of waiting for these sorts of things? "Can't you just… fix the glasses or something?"

"I understand your concern, acolyte, but there is nothing to fear," He made a sharp turn left, and I had no choice but to follow him into another tunnel, "While could indeed fix this item, you have proved that it can be broken or lost. Such a flaw could cost you your life, you know? You can keep them for flair later, however. As long as you perform your duties to the best of your abilities, a lot of boundaries can be pushed."

"O-okay," I finished meekly. What was it with me? So what if I'm about to be operate on, it can't be thatbad, right? I really needed to man up. Well, no time better than present, "Alright. Let's do this."

"That's the spirit," The priest turned and smiled at me. Or at least the line that could've been his mouth bent downwards a bit, "We'll make an Evervigil out of you in no time."

"Oh, and, out of curiosity, how many such procedures do you happen to have? It's just, I saw those operating tables yesterday, and now you mentioned an actual magical equivalent of a surgery…"

His only response was a curt "Plenty." I shut up after that.

Sometime later we've reached the now-familiar dollhouse lab where I could see a blotch of red moving in the distance.

"Ah, guests! Hello again, Father Klaus, acolyte," Ferdinand's energetic voice reached my ears, "What can I do for you today? The amulet isn't malfunctioning, I hope?"

"It is not-" My guide began but was immediately interrupted.

"I know. That was a joke, Klaus, my works don't malfunction. Anyway, sorry if this seems rude but I'm on a bit of tight schedule. They've found a Doll recently, and I need to make preparations before it's shipped here."

"A Doll?" Father Klaus turned serious, "What is the damage?"

"As usual. It was stopped before it had could reproduce, so the casualties include just one family. The daughter found a lonely toy and, since her parents couldn't afford her any of her own, decided to bring it into the house. Skip a couple weeks, and we have a classic 'mamono in the house' scenario."

"What of the rest of the family?"

"There's no 'rest of the family.' Everyone got turned. The succubi, both mother and daughter, got snatched by the Heralds, and are getting readied for the execution alongside the father. The Doll we managed redirect here."

"And why, pray tell, was it not captured earlier? Before an entire family was lost." Klaus' silhouette shook. I could feel the anger, so uncharacteristic for him, boiling underneath the façade of calmness.

Ferdinand's shoulders slumped. His entire posture, from what I could see, radiated defeat and, surprisingly, disappointment.

"A turncoat. One of ours. An acolyte found them while making a tour through the slums but was persuaded by the family's pleas to let the daughter keep her only toy."

Father Klaus went still. Not a line of his form so much as twitched after he heard the news. I myself was shocked. A whole family, just gone because one dude didn't have it in him to take away a toy? Ridiculous. Even to me, that sounded ridiculous. And now all of them would get publically executed. Killed. One man's negligence just murdered a family.

My hands rolled up into fists. This wasn't a fairy tale anymore. Cute monster girls running around searching for husbands? Yeah, more like 'nominating families for death with their mere presence.'

"Where is the traitor?" Came a rumbling hiss.

"Same as always, same as always…" Father Ferdinand tiredly sighed, "You know you can't do what you're planning to, right? We're not the same Order anymore."

"You…" The air whistled as Father Klaus deeply inhaled, "You're right. I can't. We can't. We can't afford to waste precious resources, every opportunity missed is a weight dropping onto the scales of humanity's demise. Maximum efficiency. Maximum efficiency…"

"Indeed, old friend, indeed. Maximum efficiency."

"This acolyte is in need to have his eyesight fixed," Klaus suddenly switched topics, "Take care of it. I will come up with a plan to make our traitor useful."

With that, he left, his boots loudly clicking against the stone floor. Ferdinand and I remained in silence for a little while longer, me processing the new information and possible consequences of my actions, and Ferdinand… I honestly have no idea.

"So," He finally broke the awkward air, "Bad eyesight, huh? I guess I have some time to perform a quick operation. Pick a table and lay there."

I squashed the uncertainty trying to rear its ugly head and approached the closest clear table with measured steps.

"Do I need to take off the robe?" I had to make sure.

"Nah, don't bother," Came a response from somewhere across the room.

After evening out my breath, I climbed onto the operating table and waited. And several tense minutes of dreadful anticipation, the crimson cloud finally appeared in my field of vision.

"Here, hold this," Something soft gently hit my cheek and slid down the robe's collar, "Should be done in about half an hour…"

So so-

…on?

"Huh?" Why were my eyes closed? I was just looking at Ferdinand preparing to do somethingto me, and now all I see is black.

"Feel free to open your eyes now. Everything should be in place." Was a distant echo.

Slowly, carefully, I began to peel my eyes open. At first, I thought that nothing has changed but then…

Everything was just so beautiful. The clearly defined, perfectly outlines shapes filled my vision. Unconventional, but so innately completegeometry comprised my entire world. The stones were stones, and crystals were crystals. The dust fluttering through the air into a specific corner of the room was not invisible anymore.

Forget glasses, I could see. My heart beating ever faster, I held up my hand to my face. I tried, I tried hard, but I couldn't contain the squeal of excitement. The lines, the veins, I could see the outlines of bones and tendons, I could see the cracks spreading across my palm.

"Happy?" I turned to see- see, see!- a… hey, that is some very nice hair, "Ah, don't bother, it's written all over your face. Well, Father Klaus should be arriving soon, so I advise you to get accommodated to your new eyesight while you have time. I'll be around if you need me."

With that, he left. I gingerly lowered myself onto the floor and looked around. Man, this was going to take a while to get used to. I stood up and tried to find a mirror or anything that could be used as one.

Eventually, I discovered a weird contraption that looked like several triangular mirrors combined to form an octahedron that was somehow balancing on its point. Peeking into one of them revealed my good old face, except without the glasses. On the first glance, I couldn't spot anything different. Then, I angled my head to let more light shine onto my eye, and froze.

There was something inside. As in, there was something inside my eyeball, glimmering under the rays of light. Panicking, I pulled my eyelids apart to reveal more of the whites, and frantically searched for any defined contours. Ironically, it was the improvised sight that helped me notice something of value.

It wasn't the eye itself that was different but the eye socket behind it. Similar to the lines that spanned my head, a maze of glowing golden circuits faintly sparkled in the back of my eye, beyond the sclera.

"Enchanting, isn't it?" A voice resounded right above my ear, causing me to flinch, "Jumpy, aren't you? Don't worry, we'll turn it into ingrained reflexes very soon. In any case, say hello to one of my more run-of-the-mill operations. Nothing too fancy, simple runes meant to improve eyesight. If you ever wanted an upgrade, please tell me, and I'll get you something better. Like seeing magical energies, for example. Or looking through walls, that was a fun one. Oh, I also remember one of our operatives asking to be able to see clothes, said it was to help him identify disguised mamono…"

"And what happened to him?" I warily asked, "Was he successful in his work?"

"He turned traitor later," Ferdinand easily answered, "We were lacking resources at the time, so Harvesting him turned out to be extremely beneficial. Talk about luck."

"Wait, never mind that," I shook my head, "How did you get the runes behind my eyeball?!"

"Hm, that?" He lifted an eyebrow, "A simple trick, really, I use it all the time. Since surface runes can be scratched off by accident, it is much safer to place them inside the body. So, instead of carving them directly onto your eyes, I removed them, then carved the runes into your eye sockets, and only then put the eyes back in. I don't know for myself, but the word on the street is that mamono's faces when one of their own suddenly blows up for no reason after disappearing for the night are hilarious. Also my work, by the way, Blaze of Glory." His eyes gained a dreamy look, "Tightly packed spirit energy that erupts in an explosion of light that repels all other energies. Including spirit energy. The thing should rip life itself out of everything in the vicinity. It makes Papa very proud…"

Morbid fascination and a deep feeling of respect for a man who found his passion warred in me before coming to a conclusion that everyone had their quirks, and the situation was thatbad overall. Maybe one day I would find my own passion, and other people would look at me the same way I'm looking at Father Ferdinand right now.

"You're done, I see," I heard Father Klaus call out from somewhere across the room, "Excellent. Acolyte, follow me."

"Still sour from the whole traitor thing," The red-haired scientist smiled sadly, "Just give him time, he'll be over it before you can blink. Anyway, can I have your name? It's been a bit hectic lately but proper manners is what differs us from animals."

"Oh, it's Damien. I'd say 'a pleasure to meet you,' but I've already met you yesterday."

"Haha, indeed. Father Ferdinand, obviously," He grinned, "And I strongly suggest you to hurry, I doubt you'll be able to make sense of the Dimension Gates as you are now."

"Dimension Gates?"

"All in due time!"

I watched him turn around and hurry towards some kind of a phyrexian parody of Jesus' cross. Probably for the Doll. I'd feel bad but, well, still not over the whole 'murdered a family' thing.

After finding Father Klaus with my Eyes Mk 2, I sped after him. The lean man peered into my eyes for a second before nodding and disappearing into the corridor. I hopped after him but this time I paid close attention to the entrance. The thoughts about 'Dimensional Gates' refused to leave my head.

Just as I passed the boundary separating the room from the hallway, I felt something on the edge of my senses. Like a bubble or an extremely thin wrapper, the boundary wrapped around me before the feeling disappeared for good. And yet, nothing else stood out of place.

Shrugging, I focused my attention on Father Klaus.

"So, what now?"

"Now, you will be given some training as a member of the Order." His words were chopped, like a work of a text-to-speech device, "Theology, philosophy, combat training, and spirit energy manipulation. Specifically, healing arts and barrier arts. You will later be able to apprentice under a senior member of the Evervigil, should you desire to advance your knowledge in any of the disciplines."

I nodded sagely. So, I could choose my Class? Magic, obviously but… I didn't really like the sound of healing and barriers magicks. Support stuff was never my thing when I played MMOs, I've always been a summoner, or a combat caster if the former wasn't an option. And that left me with one, honestly pretty sweat, but also a bit scary option: Enchantment. And that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd say.

Finally, we entered a massive cavern, where sand covered the floor in a thick layer, and runed fences were used to separate it into distinct segments. Overall, this placed looked like a classic battle arena, or a domed Coliseum.

George was already waiting for us, his gray robe brushing against the sand.

"We'll start with basic survival training," Father Klaus spoke after ensuring that he had our attention, "Your goal for the day is to survive. The amulets should help with that, especially since both of you have touched upon your spirit energy."

George and I were shepherded into separate arenas, and then Klaus snapped his fingers. The sand began to shift. Small sandstorms formed around the bigger 'currents,' giving the whole territory a much more chaotic look when compared to the rest of the arena. Eventually, I saw something emerge from beneath the ground.

An elegant, lithe gray hand. It pressed into the ground and pushed, causing the sand to bulge around it. When the cloud of desert particles cleared out, a… cute?- woman stood in its place.

Her ashen hair contrasted well with light gray skin and dull amber eyes. She was wrapped in bandages and rags that preserved her modesty but left enough to notice two admirable bulges on her chest. From this distance, I could clearly see that her skin lacked any imperfections or flaws whatsoever, a perfect example of beauty in its own way.

The moment she stood up straight, her eyes cleared out and zeroed in on me not a second later. They studied me for a brief moment before slowly sliding down my chest, and past the rope belt, before stopping at the…

Wait a minute.

I barely managed to flinch when the honest to god Zombie jerked towards me, a weirdly sensual growl escaping her accurate lips.

Its twin resonated from another sector of the arena.

"What the- Father Klaus, why do you have Zombies around here?!" I yelled, while frantically trying to come up with a feasible self-defense plan. I was not getting raped by moving corpse, thank you very much.

"Shit, there's more than one!" Came a screech.

And indeed, I could see the sand bulging in several more places.

"Oh, you know," resounded a phlegmatic monotone, "We have to put the bodies somewhere and, seeing how humans generally lack the more interesting bits, there's no use taking them apart. Besides, Zombies make for wonderful testing dummies. Maximum efficiency."

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 5.


Fortunately for us, Zombies were slow. Not quite 'see you next year' kind of slow, but more like 'I'll get there eventually.' Their sheer number, however, was an issue.

"Dammit, how are we supposed to win this?" I hissed, skipping away from the approaching monsters into the opposite corner, "And what's up with the whole 'survive' thing? I thoughts Zombies don't kill their victims?!"

"They don't, true." Father Klaus called back, "But, just like any other monster, they taint spirit energy with their demonic one. In other words, if they catch you…"

"I'll be considered a turncoat, gotcha." I ground out. Though, for some reason, the thought of being compared with the family-murderer bothered me more than being burned at the stake. It was odd but something that would help save my life right now.

Zombies moaned as they neared me, pale hands reaching longingly in my direction. I gulped. This entire situation felt extremely weird, I should've been afraid, seeing how I was basically taking part in a zombie horror but they wouldn't actually kill me. Just rape me. And then I would be killed by the Order.

So I was afraid but I wasn't sure what to be afraid of.

"Gah, screw it!" I clenched the amulet in my fist and tried to summon that feeling of warmth inside my body, "Come on, come on…"

"H-husbaaand." A raspy croak almost shattered my concertation. It was way too close for comfort.

My first instinct was to close my eyes and focus on the spirit energy but my mind suppressed that reflex. Losing sight of the enemy was lethal. I dropped my attempts at magic, and briefly scanned the incoming group of five monsters.

They were spread out but not enough to cover the entire sector. So, if I just managed to time it right, I might be able to slip past them to the other side. I calmed my breathing waited for the Zombies to come closer.

Not yet.

Not yet…

Opening!

I dashed forward, right between two Zombies that were making a direct beeline for me. One of them tried to snatch the sleeve of my robe but I noticed just in time to hit the ground and slide my way out.

Hastily recovering, I reached the furthest side of the sector and warily watched as the Zombies paused and turned around to face me. I was already tired just from that one stunt, so I knew I had to finish this fast.

"Alright, spirit energy." I palmed my ears to block out the sounds, still maintain visual contact with the monsters. Not in time to miss a panicked yell coming from the other side of the cavern. I'd say that I hoped George was okay but my own well-being took priority right now.

"Warm like the sun, uranium," I listed off the things that I felt when I first touched my inner energies, "Boiling blood… Diffused throughout my entire body, concentrated in the chest…"

The Zombies were hallway there.

"Activate, damn you!" My fingers dug into my temples, provoking a weak pulse of pain. Pain that was soon completely lost in the feeling of power that emanated from the amulet.

Exhaling in relief, I tried directing this power with my mid. Like an extra limb, the gaseous energy flowed into my arm, lighting it up with an ethereal golden glow.

"Yes, now we're talking!" I held up my hand in front of me, willing them both alight, "Let's see what this thing can do!"

I didn't quite get the chance to experiment, however, as, in reaction to the spirit energy released by my body, the Zombies sped up. I had to do something now.

The first thing that came to mind was melee, and I rushed at the rightmost Zombie. I saw its eyes widen as it realized that I was getting closer way faster than before, and it even managed to take a wobbly step back before my glowing fist impacted its jaw.

I guess even these corpses had some human emotions.

With all the kinetic energy compacted within my fist, the Zombie was flung away though, admittedly, not that far. I saw it gasp as purple miasma left the pores of its face in the form of a faint smoke cloud. It stopped moving afterward.

"Whew! Problem solved," I jerked my head to the side to get the hair out of my face, "Who's next?"

My morale restored, I eagerly eyed a neat line of Zombies arranged in front of me, one behind another. I didn't choose the one on the right for nothing, after all, because since I was hitting with my right hand, I could keep the rest of my foes in my field of vision. It wasn't much but I've read enough books and watched enough movies to know that minor stuff like this saved lives.

The closest one to me angled its head in a very human-like gesture of confusion. I even had to remind myself that these were actual animated corpses to not get all sympathetic. For some reason, these things did not feel like denizens of the Uncanny Valley, despite being such by definition.

I fell into a stance I vaguely remembered from my karate classes and waited. I didn't have to remain still for long, as the Zombies groaned and continued walking towards me. Slightly lowering my stance for extra stability, I froze before I could rush my next opponent.

My eyes widening, I glanced at my fists surrounded by golden light. Then, I looked at the Zombies. Golden light. Zombies. Golden light.

Zombies.

"There's no way I'm passing up this opportunity," I muttered, then began sprinting at the shuffling dead.

It turned out to be less human than its fallen comrade, as it didn't even flinch. Their battle cry, however, changed.

"Seeee-"

"…nlight Yellow Overdrive!" I finished for it and drove my fist deep into its stomach. Twitching, the monster collapsed, its purple essence leaving the body.

Examining my fist, I noticed the golden light diminish ever so slightly. Still, there was plenty enough left to finish off the rest.

I laughed. The fear, the exhaustion, both physical and mental, were washed away by the tide of confidence. I could do this. I had power now. Sure, it wasn't anything like flinging fireballs or creating earthquakes, but I didn't need to rely on some elemental to use it. It was mine. More than that, this power was me.

A perfectly loyal, infallible tool that had no anchor in this world other than myself.

With a bellowing roar, I ran my shoulder straight into the next Zombie full speed. It hands immediately circled around me, trying to drag me down after itself, but my fist lashed out and impacted its kneecap before I hit the ground.

Balance lost, the monster lost its hold on me, and I was able to follow up with a jab to the face. Only two left.

Spread apart as they were, the same tactic helped me finish this fight with calloused knuckles but a clean spirit. I got to live another day.

Pressing my hands against my knees to avoid falling like a total loser, I turned my head to the side in order to observe Geroge's fight. The guy seemed to be doing fine, his appearance only slightly disheveled as he pressed his amulet against a Zombie's back, causing it to flash yellow.

Yeah, he had it under control.

With an audible click, the fence around my sector vanished into the ground, allowing me to waddle out of the arena and lean against the wall next to Father Klaus.

"Congratulations," He gave me a proud smile, "You have passed the test with flying colors. Let us wait for your fellow acolyte to finish his part of the training, and I can escort you back to your rooms."

"Yeah, great," I gave him a thumbs up before eyeing him suspiciously, "Were you actually going to kill us if we failed?"

"Chief God knows, of course not!" He laughed. The bastard laughed, "We would be fools to sacrifice talent because of a minor failure. I would've dragged you out and delivered to Ferdinand. While we can't do anything about incubi or turned monsters, it is well within our power to purge the demonic energy out of someone. You would've been healed, and given another chance to finish this test. The threat served as a simple motivation. You will find that the desire to leave opens many doors, Damien."

"Sure, I guess. Not like I can do anything about it," I grumbled under my breath, then paused, "Wait a minute. You know my name?"

"Of course I do," He arched his eyebrow, "You're an acolyte training under my tutelage, not knowing your name would bring shame to me as your senior."

"Hm. Could've sworn I've never mentioned it… Oh well, minor details."

"Indeed. You may also want to retrieve your spirit energy back into your body. Maintaining it like that can be quite taxing."

What is he?-

Oh.

I willed the energy to return to my body, watching as the glow around my hands died down. Speaking of…

"Was happened back there? I know I called upon my spirit energy but I thought it was supposed to get tainted by demonic energy, not the other way around?"

"You are correct," Father Klaus raised his hand and, in a blink of an eye, it lit up like a star in the night sky. As in, his whole arm became monochrome silver, "This, is spirit energy. The purest form of magic there is, the essence of life itself. You will learn about it in more detail soon but the crux of the matter is that, despite its power, it can be easily contaminated. Demonic energy, spirit energy tainted with Lust, is similar enough to its progenitor to mix well but, being only one of its aspects, it is far more… specialized. Active. It can be a bit confusing at first, but the closest example would be adding a dye to a cup of water. They are both liquids, which allows them to mix, but the dye quickly spreads through the entire volume of water, changing its color. Of course, our mana can reject this change by being more concentrated than demonic power but that brings its own dangers with it."

"Whoa," I droned out, "So demonic energy is a product of spirit energy?"

"In a way. Regardless, I told you that the amulets help you control your spirit energy, and that is exactly what they did." Silver turned to gold. I wonder if King Midas looked anything like Father Klaus right now, "You won't need such a crutch after enough practice but, essentially, we humans use our own form of demonic energy. Holy Energy, or the spirit energy of Faith. Like night and day, sun and moon, the two sister-powers detest each other's mere presence. That's why when the holy energy around your fist came in contact with the much less concentrated demonic energy of the Zombies, the latter was forced out of their bodies."

So, they worked like polarity. Except both holy and demonic energies were the same pole, while spirit energy was the other. It was hard to explain but simple enough to understand. In any case, Father Klaus said that I'll learn more about it later, which means I will. Just not now. Definitely not now.

As if waiting for his cue, George decided to appear right as the priest was done with his explanation.

"You-" He sucked in some air, "Were you really going to kill us if we failed?"

I quietly snickered but remained otherwise silent as Father Klaus explained to the acolyte the same thing he did to me earlier. By the time he was done, we were already standing in front of the twin doors to our rooms.

"Have some rest. You passed the entrance exam, so to speak, and tomorrow we will begin making proper acolytes out of you." He folded his arms across his chest and smiled at us. Unlike his usual sardonic smirks, this was… fatherly, almost? "When you're hungry, simply tap the work desk three times. That should activate the proper runes and bring out the menu. Oh, and the bathroom can be accessed through the wardrobes. Simply enter them and continue going forward. We still have no idea who came up with that but, for some reason, bigger issues arise whenever we try to fix it. It's one of the biggest mysteries of this complex."

With that, he bid us farewell and disappeared into one of the corridors. I looked George over, with him doing the same to me, and determined that he looked like shit, breathing heavily with slumped shoulders, and a forehead positively flooded with sweat. Judging by his cringing face, I didn't look much different.

Wordlessly, we bumped our fists together and entered our respective rooms at the same time.

First things first, I slammed the wardrobe open and walked straight into its back wall, Harry Potter style. I forced my eyes to remain open but still missed the second when I appeared inside the bathroom. After confirming the presence of a toilet, shower, and a device I assumed to be the washing machine, all rune-based, of course, I threw my robe into the latter and stepped into the shower.

Approximately one hour later, a very red but very satisfied me turned off the nigh-boiling water and collected the clean clothes. They were still wet, however, so I placed them on a rack beside the washing machine before going back to my room. I thought the towels were on the other side since I could find none but I was proven wrong.

The moment I crossed the boundary between the wardrobe and the bathroom, all the water vanished from my body like it was never there in the first place. Marveling at the wonders of magitech, I put on a new robe, and tapped the work desk thrice.

Ordering myself some chicken soup and apple juice from the popped up menu I waited for the food to appear. Soon enough, rhythmic knocking came from my door. Standing up, I walked up to the wooden barrier and creaked it open.

A cog-shaped pupil stared right back at me.

Startled, I moved away from the doorway, unintentionally allowing the visitor, whatever it was, access to my room. They helped themselves in, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful woman made up of clanking pistons, turning gears, and smooth metal plates that reflected the light everywhere like a disco ball.

She was dressed in a conservative maid uniform, none of that fetishistic stuff, and held a tray of food in one of her hands. Mechanically, she- it?- moved the arm forward to offer the tray to me. Holding my eyes firmly on the soup in order to prevent them from wandering, I accepted the offer and began to turn around.

Accidentally, as I was moving my torso, one of my arms brushed against the automaton's fingers. Instantly, her movements stilled. Before I could apologize, reflex, mama raised no ruffian, a maze of runic symbols lit up all over her body and clothes.

A second later, it jerked its hand backward, and politely bowed before leaving and closing the door behind itself.

"Weird but okay,"

I whistled a cheerful melody as I put the tray on the desk and dug into the chicken soup.

"Man, this is good." I moaned in appreciation, "Almost like my dad used to make!"

…

M-my…

Hn. I'm sure they're fine, and even if they aren't it's not like I could do anything about it. Sure, dimensional travel was definitely possible, since I was here in the first place but reaching that level would take time. I would definitely get there, there was no doubt about that but…

I had to be resolute. I had to survive first, and that involved becoming a proper member of the Order. Then, and only then, would I think about advancing my personal interests in this bizarre world.

I blinked away the stinging in my eye and frowned as I watched a tiny transparent sphere drop into my soup.

Sighing, I stuffed another spoonful of nourishment in my mouth and froze.

"Salt… That's what the soup was lacking… He always added some salt…"

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 6.


It was honestly surprising how quickly one could fall into a routine. Rather ironic, considering that here at the Evervigil headquarters there was no set schedule whatsoever. The only times I left my room was when Father Klaus arrived to pick me up and lead to the new training zone. Sometimes it was combat, both against dummies and moving targets such as Zombies. Other times, it was learning more about the world I have found myself in, and memorizing the given information within a set amount of time.

So far, I managed to survive unmolested, though George did end up in a Zombie's grasp once. Fortunately, Father Klaus got him out of the danger zone before anything could happen.

In my free time, which was all of my time when I wasn't training, I was left completely to my own devices. Father Ferdinand cooked me up a runic box that charged my phone when it ran out of battery for the first time, though only after I promised to explain how the thing worked in the first place. He was fascinated by the sheer amount of information it could store, Father Klaus, on the other hand, was more intrigued by the camera function.

In my spare time, I mostly busied myself with reading. After a long hot shower, I picked the books I haven't read yet, turned on the music, and lost myself to the stream of knowledge. Of course, I also practiced whatever I read in the books, obviously abstaining from the more dangerous techniques, and soon managed to acquire greater control over both my spirit and holy energies.

The latter caused the most problems, however, as it refused to manifest without the help of the amulet. I guess I simply wasn't devout enough. None of the priests raised any objections or discontent, however, so I just assumed that it was well within the realm of possibility.

Anyway, this 'routine' was as chaotic as it was repetitive. I slept when I wanted to sleep, and relaxed when I was tired. I ate when I felt hunger and showered when I needed to clean myself up. Because the lights installed in my room were the only lights that affected my life cycle, I had nigh-absolute control over 'day' and 'night.' The only moments when I didn't have authority over my life were when training sessions were in progress.

One day, something different happened.

"Acolyte," Father Klaus began straight from the doorstep, his expression varying between concerned and excited, "There is a mission for you."

"Hm?" I closed 'The Secrets of Runecraft,' black-clad, of course, I stood up from the desk to face the priest, "Oh, this is new. Did Father Ferdinand finally finish that life-sized village model he was working on?"

"No, that particular project is still in development," He shook his head, "I mean an actual mission. We are currently experiencing a shortage of workforce, so it was decided to assign you as a representative of the Order for a Search and Destroy taskforce."

"Huh? I thought we had plenty of agents?"

"We do," He sighed, "But we keep finding more and more monsters crawling around the city. No one has any idea as what it could mean but it forces our hand anyway. The city is currently covered in a web of Evervigil, and we can't afford to give the monsters any slack. That's why we began assigning less crucial missions to the acolytes. Besides, some real-life experience is sure to be useful for you."

"O-kay," I drawled, "Sure, why not. Could be fun. You mentioned Search and Destroy?"

"I did, yes," The priest reached into his robe and pulled out a small scroll before handing it to me, "These are your instruction. Nothing complex but useful in case you forget your duty, or we have to identify your body. Keep it safe."

"I'll look it over later," I placed the scroll on the desk and continued staring at Father Klaus. Maybe earlier- how long was it again?- I would've been alarmed by the ease with which he spoke of my demise but at this point in became a norm. Death was a thing, it happened, and it could definitely apply to me. There was nothing to be disturbed about.

"You do that," He nodded, "You will be sent to a village close to our border with Polove, a heretical nation where the Elementalist's Association makes its home. There are rumors that a nest of slimes settled somewhere nearby and began to 'mingle' with the villagers. Your task is to find out whether there is any truth to those rumors and, if so, located the monster hive. The Stalwart Shields' taskforce will accompany you in order to deal with the monsters, should the need arise."

"Wait, so this is… an actual task?" I couldn't believe my ears! My first assignment, this was my first real assignment! By Chief God's kindly claw, I could finally do something new!

"Yes, it is," My inner thoughts clearly didn't escape Father Klaus' notice, and his smirk visibly grew, "A word of caution: Polove is a nation governed by a Dark Matter and its Elementalists' Association. As such it is widely considered a Demon Realm, and a powerful one at that. Under no circumstances are you to cross the border. You are not prepared to withstand the temptation of a full-blown Demonic Realm. However, there is still a danger of demonic energy seeping into our own land. As such, I must implore you to take this. It should be enough to protect you from minor demonic influence."

With that, he extended his hand, and I noticed that his sleeve was far larger than usual. Looking closer, I felt my eyes widen as I saw a second black robe neatly folded around his arm.

"Is this…?" I couldn't keep the tremor out of my voice.

"Yes. A Witch Hunter's garb, one worn by those who have not yet passed our Rite but proved themselves to be far superior to mere acolytes. Acolyte George will be receiving one as well, though his mission will be different."

I gingerly took the offered robe into my hands and felt the sturdy fabric. Black as night as tough as nails, quite symbolic for those whose duty is to root out evil at the cost of their own moral self. Needless to say, I accepted the burden with pleasure.

"Thank you, Father Klaus," I bowed to express my respect for the man. I wasn't an idiot, and I fully realized that what he did as a job was something people back home would consider war crimes of the highest caliber but… I couldn't not respect his resolve. His willingness to go such lengths in order to protect what was left of humanity in this quite torn world.

"You are very welcome, acolyte. I shall visit you again in half an hour, make sure you have everything you need ready," He paused on his way out, "I'm sure you remember but you are not allowed to take the books out of this room. I know how much you like reading but the answer is still 'No.'"

My cheeks slightly heated up from embarrassment. So what if I took one of the books to read on my way to the next training facility and back? Walking in silence was boring.

After the door closed behind the priest, I emitted a quiet but very excited squeal and rushed to prepare for the journey. Ordering some preserved food for camping, I quickly put on my brand new robe and opened the wardrobe to collect spares. Surprisingly, all the gray robes turned into black ones. Talk about convenience.

Packing two of them within the storage rune on the inside of my new outfit- even without wearing it before, I've read enough to know the useful tricks each Order's uniforms possessed- I headed to the bathroom to make sure I looked my best.

Carefully slicking my hair back, I ended up kind of looking like Klaus, except my hair was way longer and gathered in a whipcord of a ponytail at the back. Except, instead of being nigh-black like they used to, my eyes now had a vibrant yellow color, similar to a cat's. Combined with the rest of my attire, I looked like a video game character. Or a cosplayer at the ComicCon. Didn't make me look any less badass though.

Naturally, I also took some time to admire the swelled up muscles on my arms, pride filling me at the sight of my achievements. These few weeks were fruitful indeed…

Someone knocked on my door at exactly the same moment as I re-entered my room. Opening it, I gave my usual friendly greeting to the unresponsive automaton and snatched the packed food out of her hand. I grew somewhat attached to the silent magitech robot, even if it was closer to the adoration one feels towards a pet, rather than friendship, or anything romantic. Not that the latter even needed to be mentioned.

The metallic maid flashed her runes, as she began doing each time we met, and I barely started to turn around when something grabbed the hem of my robe.

"Huh?!" Startled, I whirled around, only to come face to face, again, with the automaton. The runes weren't even flashing now, they were just lit, "Oh, it's just you. Well, this is unusual. Do you need something?"

She just continued to stare at me, though her fingers refused to let go of my clothes.

"Can you let me go?" The grip slackened, "Ah, thanks, I'm about to leave on a mission, and I can't really afford to- huh?" The cloth strained as hydraulics hissed and increased the pressure of her grasp tenfold, "Ehm… I'll be back?"

The fingers relaxed but still didn't let go.

"Weird," I leaned in to examine her. Everything seemed in order, I read a bit about automaton's and, if the book was correct, this particular one's functions were not supposed to be damaged in any way. The runes were there to prevent demonic energy from entering her body, nothing else. Automatons were among the more powerful monsters, and having one in the middle of our headquarters would be a lot of trouble, "You look fine. What's up with this behavior?"

She didn't answer, obviously. Instead, we stared at each other for several minutes, until I realized that, unlike me, she was a machine and didn't need breaks. With a sigh, I broke eye contact and tried to step away from her. She didn't even twitch, and my robe became visibly strained again.

"Can you please let me go?" I slumped in defeat and groaned, "This is important, I can't waste much time."

Hesitantly, the mechanical fingers forced themselves open, and I was free once again.

"Thanks," I ran my hands along my hair to make sure it was in place. Order's tools of person hygiene proved themselves to be the best one more time. Perfect, "Oh, you're still here?"

The clearly malfunctioning automaton was basically glowing at this point, so great was the intensity of the runes on her body. Making a wary step forward, I tapped her cheek with a finger. As expected, it was cold and smooth, a surprisingly pleasant feeling that reminded me of that orb from back when I was summoned.

Suddenly, her mouth opened and moved to snap at my outstretched finger. Heavily trained reflexes kicked in almost immediately but failed to completely save me from harm. The edges of her polished teeth brushed against the tip of my finger as I tried to get it out of reach, tearing a small chunk of skin and rupturing several blood vessels.

My arm was encased in golden light not a second later, and I prepared to strike back when I noticed that the automaton wasn't moving at all. She was… shaking on the spot, enchantments engraved onto her body going haywire.

Moving slowly, as to avoid gaining her attention, I wrapped my hand around her wrist and began reinforcing the runes with my own energy. The glow briefly intensified before dying down and dragging the automaton's strangeness with it.

Forcing the spirit energy into my wounded finger, I watched with curiosity as it healed. No matter how many times I got hurt and was forced to practice my healing techniques, I never got tired of observing flesh and bone stitch themselves together. Capillaries reconnected, cells divided to make up for the lost mass, and skin grew over the wound to make it seem like nothing was wrong in the first place.

When I looked up, the robo-maid was already gone. Instead, Father Klaus was looking down on me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you done packing?"

"Ah, yes, yes I am." I put the food into the storage rune and waited for further instructions. Eventually, the priest smiled and gestured for me to come closer. After a moment of confusion, I did as he asked.

"Damien. You have been nothing if not a perfect acolyte," His tone was solemn and his expression grew serious, "Because of that, I need to ask you something. Something important."

Silence reigned for a few seconds.

"Do you know?"

The question hit me like a freight train going full speed. Of course I knew! Back when we had only started training, I figured that something was wrong. Regardless of the circumstances, I hated putting in effort. I simply didn't like exerting myself but those sessions, the way I enjoyed getting stronger… It raised some concerns.

Ironically, my suspicions were confirmed by the very books they put into my room. Particularly, the one about magic materials and various enchanted trinkets. Collars with weresheep wool woven into them were simple but highly efficient artifacts capable of affecting someone's mind, with intensity depending on the wool concentration.

It took me two nights to find traces of that particular ingredient in the amulet's chain. For the next week, I lost my ability to sleep. My mind was in constant overdrive, plagued with worry, fear, and desperation. Not even the similarly enchanted bedding could help me. I learned to cope with the fact after that, locked it in the deepest parts of my memory so it wouldn't bother me that much.

Mind control… I never thought that I would be the one they used it on. So now… now I was scared for real.

"I see," He scowled, easily reading my expression, "I guess I should offer my apologies for that. But know that it is a common practice for the Evervigil. Even I once wore that amulet, you know."

"You!-" I hissed but then what he said caught up to me, "Once wore? As in, you don't have one now?"

"No, I do not," Father Klaus smirked thinly, "You clearly skimmed over its exact use if you're looking at me like that. As you have probably realized, what we do… It takes a toll on the human psyche. Unlike monsters, humans are born with kindness in their hearts, and this very kindness sometimes prevents us from doing what is right. What is best. We're different from other Orders, Damien. History tells us that the first acolytes recruited by the Evervigil either sided with monsters or went insane and committed suicide within a week. Dozens of bright young men and women lost, all because they could handle the pressure."

He reached out and grabbed my amulet, lifting it up to hold in front of my eyes.

"So this, this is something that kept you alive, not chained. Free will is something Chief God gifted to all of humanity, and you would do well to remember that everything we do is for the sake of protecting humanity. If we didn't have free will… there would be no one to protect in the first place, would there?"

I gulped and accepted the amulet into my hand with shaking fingers. If he was saying the truth, then… What then? I still had no idea what this thing did to mind, even though my head was already tearing apart from the influx of information.

"S-so…" I croaked, "What did it do to me?"

Without uttering a single sound, Klaus grabbed my hand and snapped my wrist with just two fingers. As I was trying to process what just happened, pain reached my brain. At first, I winced, preparing for whatever tidal wave of agony I imaged a broken wrist felt like but then only felt a slight sting. Surprised, I dared to look at my hand and, yep, it was not supposed to bend this way.

"It weakens the pain?" My voice carried my bewilderment pretty easily.

"Among other things. The wool is meant to dampen strong emotions, allowing you to keep a cool head, as well as helping you cope with bitter memories. A lot of Witch Hunters take these on their mission regardless of their rank just for that function. You have to remember, Damien, we are not here to bring pain and misery upon the world. Our duty is to make it a better place. We may kill, we may torture, we may do things even worse than that but never, you hear me, never do we cause more pain then bring happiness. For every succubus burned, tens of families can live in peace. For every village of monster sympathizers razed, dozens can avoid the same fate. Our motto is Maximum Efficiency, for we reach the greatest of heights suffering the least of losses. No matter what those losses may entail."

Father Klaus let go of me and took a step backward.

"You are probably still confused, I understand. Please, give what I said a thought. I can see potential in you, potential that just might be enough to tip the scales of war in our favor. You are just one man but so are we all. And we need you, Witch Hunter."

He gave me a slow, respectful nod.

"Safe travels, and may Chief God bless your way."

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 7.


I had no idea how long the trip to Lescatie's border would take, so I decided to stock up on both food and entertainment. That meant that, right before Father Klaus began to lead me out of my room, I ran back to the nightstand and snatched both my phone and its charger off of it. Thankfully, I could maintain the runes with my spirit energy, so I would not have to fear running out of battery anytime soon.

The moment I gave the priest confirmation that I was ready to leave, he turned around to look directly at the wall right across the door and whispered something. In between two blinks, a corridor appeared where once was solid stone. I grew used to the dimensional meddling this place was so full of, however, and barely even flinched at the sight.

As we walked forward, I reached to go over the mission scroll but then a thought struck me. Not wasting a second, I looked at Father Klaus.

"Ehm, something weird happened before you came to pick me up," I started, "The automaton's that's been bringing me food, she acted strangely today."

"Oh? Strangely how?" The priest asked without slowing his gait.

"Well, at first she grabbed me by my robe and then refused to let go," I shrugged, "And then she tried to bite me. Nothing serious, and I easily healed the damage but it still startled me. Her runes were also glowing. Like, really brightly."

Klaus stopped, then sharply spun to face me.

"Did it taste blood?" He asked.

"I… think so? I had some blood on my finger, in any case."

"Blast it. Another unit for decommissioning, where are we going to find more?" He muttered in annoyance, "We've searched through every ruin, checked every hidden storage, there are simply no more Automatons in Lescatie!"

"Sorry?" Boy, this was awkward. I tried to offer my apology but the priest simply brushed it off.

"Don't bother, not your fault. This happens sometimes, Automatons have a tendency to pick one master and stick with them to the very end. If it acquired your blood, then it's essentially useless as a servant for everyone except you."

"Is it really necessary to scrap her?" His glare snapped at me, intensifying, "I mean, I read that Automatons are powerful monsters in their own right, and we seemed to have figured out how to control them. Wouldn't she be more useful working for us?"

"That's…" He folded his arms, thinking, "A possibility. But every example in the past… All tainted. Never not an acolyte though. Maybe a Witch Hunter… A valuable asset, add some more potent weapons and… Manufacture? No, too reliant on demonic energy, we can't keep it in check forever… Is it more dangerous than useful, or more useful than dangerous?"

He hummed, and the glim in his eye turned into something akin to consideration.

"A risky gamble but… Alright, listen here. The Automaton will be deactivated," I opened my mouth to ask him to clarify but was silenced by the raised finger, "Should you return from your mission, you will be given a choice: accept the Automaton's service or have it scrapped. If you choose the former, then it will become your personal assistant. There lies the danger, however. Despite all the power it gives you, it's still a monster. And if you fall to its wiles, you will be treated as a traitor. Your fate would depend on the strength of your spirit. Alternatively, we can have it scrapped right now. Your decision?"

I gave it a thought. This was a great risk, keeping a monster too close for too long was a strain on any normal human's psyche. But the Automaton could prove to be of great use later on. Unlike most monsters, it could completely sustain itself on spirit energy, lacking any traits, both physical and mental, one would expect from a monster. Well, except for beauty. Everything changed if electricity was involved but there's no problem in life that a couple runes won't solve. In other words, it all came down to whether I myself will be able to keep it in my pants.

And you know what? I felt pretty confident I would. Nothing was certain, however, as I haven't yet actually encountered a monster in the wild. This mission would provide me with priceless experience, based on which I will be able to make the decision upon my return.

After I finished explaining my entire thought process to Father Klaus, he stared at me for a while, then nodded sagely.

"So be it."

Done with that particular conversation, we resumed our walk. A few turns later during which I could feel my heart pumping faster and faster, we arrived at the all-too-familiar cavern with dozens of pathways spreading in every direction. At its middle was a giant circle carved in stone.

"That's, that's it, isn't it?" I gulped down the suddenly viscous saliva, trying to calm the knot formed in my stomach, "The way I got here in the first place."

"Indeed. This lift shall take you outside," Father Klaus gave me a single firm nod, "You will find yourself within the walls of the Grand Cathedral of Lescatie. You are to leave the room, then take two turns left, then three turns right exactly in that order. If you follow these instructions, you will end up leaving the building. The taskforce should be waiting for you outside."

"Alright, then," I rubbed my hands together to provide an outlet for the anxiety, "Do I just stand in the circle then?"

"Yes," I obediently stepped on the platform, suppressing a shiver when it shuddered and slowly began to ascend, "And remember. While this is not our Rite, this mission is still a trial in its own way. Primarily to see how well you react to new environments."

"Huh?"

"And remember!" He yelled with a smirk when I almost reached the ceiling, "You are not an acolyte of the Evervigil, you are a Witch Hunter of the Order! Keep our secrets to yourself, will you? The amulet should help with that, so don't resist its assistance should the need arise!"

With that, I had less than a second to blink before I was flattened against the dome of rock.

Except I wasn't.

Opening my eyes revealed a brightly lit room of polished stone and marble with two chairs located within an arm's reach from me. As if unsure of the reality of my surroundings, I reached out and grasped the back of one of the chairs with my hand. It felt… soft.

Recalling the weresheep wool's effect, I immediately withdrew my arm and clicked my tongue. Blasted wool, ruining such a moment. Oh well, nothing I could do about it.

I spend the next few minutes stretching until I heard satisfying cracks resound from every single joint in my body that I could consciously move. Warmed up, I sent some energy into one of the runes on my robe and summoned my phone and a pair of earbuds.

"Let's see now…" I bit my tongue in concentration as I scrolled through the downloaded songs. Fortunately, I hated to be left without my music and took great care in installing every single song I head so I could listen to them online. In other words, my beloved collection of several hundreds of tracks traveled the world gap with me, "Queen? Nah, don't feel like it. Maybe something by Sabaton or Powerful? No, that's won't fit either, way too energetic. I need something relaxing but with a good rhythm, something adventurous… Oh. Yes, yes, this should work quite well. Thematically appropriate too."

I giggled to myself as I plugged both of my ears with divine devices of bliss. With a simple tap, the music flowed into my ears, and I began to walk forward, as per my instructions, while subtly dancing to the joyous beat.

Spoiler: The Song

He once was a peach picker, and he toiled in the sun.
He reaped the orchard on his own, until the day was done.
His hands were hard and calloused, cause he didn't have a choice.
He served so many non-believers, 'til he heard the voice.

"Now he's our shepherd, and we're his flock!" I quietly sang as I moved through the arched pearly hallways, "Now he's our captain, and our ship's about to dock! And now he's our keeper, he'll keep us safe from wrath!"

I finally ended up in front of the massive twin gates with masterfully engraved carvings of gods and angels, heroes and monsters, the burden that the Order took upon itself, and the legacy it shall give to humanity.

Pumping my arms full of holy energy, I swung them open.

"Now he's our father, he's gonna lead us down that path!"

It was bright.

So very very bright.

The light burned into my retinas and cleansed my brain of all thought.

Before the might of the golden glowing discus, I was naught but dust in the wind.

"The sun… The Sun…" I breathed out, my eyes tearing up, "It is so beautiful. How long have I been bereft of its glory? How long have I been hiding in the darkness of the deep below? And the sky, look at the sky! Vaster than any nation, bluer than the purest of sapphires."

My spine clicked furiously as I stood on the tips of my toes, doing my best to touch the infinite sky. I could see shadows shuffling around me, twitching and warping, but they were nothing before the blue expanse, just like I was. Dust.

…He suffered countless hardships, until he found the Bliss!

"Hey, is that?"

"I think it is!"

"Sir Witch Hunter, Sir! Over here!"

I blinked slowly lowered myself before looking at the source of the annoying choir of voices. A group of seven people in standard Stalwart Shields' armor was waving at me while calling out my new title. A few people walking around turned in curiosity, then waved as well.

I turned off the music and focused on my assigned taskforce as I made my way towards them, internally processing any and all details I could spot to compile their first impression.

First of all, all male. Makes sense, considering that our destination is basically a Demon Realm, having any women on the team would open up the possibility of getting a monster pop up right inside of our ranks. Incubi were outright easier to deal with since they were just slightly stronger, more durable, etc. than normal humans, at least under most circumstances.

Industrial grade armor, check. Fours swords, two spears, and bow, each also carrying a dagger sheathed at their belt, classic meatshield squad but it showed me that they adhered to the rules. Excited, not at all wary, youthful faces painted a rather gloomy picture that made me quietly pray for the best. Were these guys for real?

I shook off the reflex burned into my brain through blood and pain and looked at them like I would look at people, not assets. Young, cheerful, energetic, a textbook example of a perfect monster husband-

Okay, no. Come on, Damien, you're a Witch Hunter. Stop mentally disassembling people, and just talk.

"Hello there," I smiled politely, "Are you supposed to be the taskforce chosen for my mission?"

"You mean going to the Little Hills, right? A village near Polove?" A short blue-eyes brunet answered with a cheeky grin.

"Indeed," I slowly looked them over for show, making it seem like I judged them for the first time. Every single one of them stood a little straighter under my gaze, causing a corner of my lip to twitch upwards. I could get used to this… "Do you have the horses or shall we go on foot?"

"Ha! Nice one, Sir," A blond spearman chuckled, "It takes several weeks by horse to get there, we'd all die of old age if we tried it on foot!"

The rest of the good-naturedly supported the laughter, while I tried my best to suppress the cold feeling of despair spawning inside my chest. Several weeks by horse? Several weeks?! I could go around the globe in a little under two days but here I'll need to endure horse riding for several weeks to go in one direction?!

"Ha. Ha. Yes, hilarious, isn't it," I ignored how strained my attempt at laughter sounded, "Well, then, let's get going, shall we? Destiny awaits!"

While the merry group led one very cross witch hunter across the streets to the 'best stable in the city, yes-sir!' I was able to discover the capital of Lescatie, Lescatie, for the first time. It looked… medieval. Houses made of stone and wood, people walking around in simple but colorful clothes.

Admittedly, it was slightly better than how I imagined our medieval times to be like. The were no defecations on the streets, to begin with. Overall, a bright happy town full of smiles with happy people hiding around every corner.

I have read Dragonlance, however, and so I had a very good idea on how nations like Istar worked. And no, I had no desire to visit the slums whatsoever. Chances of meeting heretics there were rather high, due to the low guard presence and high taxation. To be honest, I was still a bit uncertain of my capabilities to deal with those in a… proper way, so leaving them to professional Evervigil was for the best.

"Say, Witch Hunter sir," A curious voice interrupted my thoughts, "What is like to be… well, to be like you? I've always wanted to join the Order but turned out I lack the talent to become a proper priest. Do you really eat bits of heretics for breakfast?"

"Robs!" A blue-haired swordsman drove his elbow into the spearman's side, the same one's who thought I was joking about the walk, "Sorry, Sir, he likes to run his mouth without thinking. Everyone knows that's just a rumor monsters spread to shake our belief in Chief God!"

I recalled the storage room packed with monsters trapped in human bodies who were left deaf and blind to the outside world, the various arenas where George and I were put up against countless monsters, from Zombies to Kappas smuggled from Zipangu somehow. I thought about the research facilities, some tamer than others, usually depending on what exactly they were working on. Their specialization didn't matter in the slightest, as even a metallurgist's workshop could be occupied a Zombie having metallic parts being implanted into its body. Sometimes a Zombie. Not always.

But more than anything else, I remembered Father Ferdinand's den, a house and a lab in one room. The living space of a man who slept next to desiccated corpses and had his morning tea side by side with artifacts capable of wiping villages from the face of this planet. Coincidentally, it was also my favorite place in the entire compound, mostly because the red-haired priest was an excellent conversationalist. I even offered him some insight into biology and chemistry, the two sciences I was the most knowledgeable in, in return for some more advanced runes. To say that he was thrilled was to say that the Evervigil were moderately rude to monsters. An understatement of the century.

"Well, you know how it is," I offered a thin smile, "Spending days praying to the Chief God and preaching love and kindness among humanity. A few tips for self-defense too, of course, though nothing that I'd prefer myself in a fight over you folks."

I lost count to the number of broken bones I've received after I became good enough at healing. Sometimes Father Klaus was even kind enough to hand them to me directly, instead of having me crawl over to increase my endurance and pain tolerance.

"Cool, cool!" Was all I got in response, "Though I have to say that I've grown to like the Order of Stalwart Shields. If you asked me now, I doubt I would've switched."

"Me too," I answered reflexively. Fortunately, I noticed the slip in time to turn it into something less suspicious, "Humanity needs its defenders as much as it needs spiritual guides. You will serve it well."

"Thanks, I guess," Only one of them answered but bashful grin blossomed on all seven faces, though some tried to hide it both from me and the rest of the squad.

I mingled absentmindedly with the group until we finally reached our destination. It was an ordinary-looking fantasy tavern with a sign that said 'Stables at the back' attached to it. I gestured for the boys to bring out the horses while I myself waited outside.

I don't know why but I just didn't feel like interacting with people too much. My mind was still reeling from the sheer dissonance between the underground labyrinth and this peaceful city, making me a bit twitchy. Even now, I could barely believe that this was not just another training model, and there wasn't some kidnapped monster ready jump by bones for the promise of freedom.

And being able to jump my bones in the first place, of course, being a monster and all.

The Shields didn't take very long to bring out eight beasties that freaked me the hell out even though I didn't let my face to show. I couldn't explain why myself but I was deeply unsettled by horse heads. There was just something about their size coupled with that toothy jaw of theirs that made me think they wanted nothing more than to eat me alive.

It's not that I didn't like horses, it's just… Okay, yeah, I didn't like horses very much.

Vaguely recalling my horse-riding lessons, surprisingly, centaurs were not involved, I managed to mount my, well, mount and call out to the rest of the squad.

"Do you have everything ready? Food, tents, spare clothes, the likes?"

"Of course we do, Sir!" The archer answered, his green eyes shining under the rays of the sun, "This may be our first mission but we've had plenty of practice!"

Oh.

Oh.

Makes me wonder whether this will be their first time meeting monsters too…

 

[Reno hiroyuki]

Good bye you poor fools it was nice meeting you.

 

[RedDeadShyguy]

You skipped chapter 6 according to threadmarks.

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 8.


"I believe introductions are in order," The apparent leader of the squad, a stern-looking brunet with icy blue eyes, began after we set up camp for the first time, "I am Elric Vornson. Served in my village's militia until my family moved to Lescatie and I joined the Stalwart Shields. This, as you might've already guessed, is my team."

"Hey-o!" The leader's shorter copy waved a hand at me, "Name's Terry! Elric's my big brother, and I joined the Shields only a year later than he did! You won't believe how awesome it is, they give us real swords, sharpened and all, and teach combat maneuvers!"

"I'm sure they do," I nodded at the hyperactive youngster. I was barely out of teens myself but this one felt childish in comparison, perhaps due to my time with the Evervigil, "What about the others?"

"Well, I'm Robin but they just call me Robs. You can too if you want, I've never made a big deal of my name," The spearman flung his straw-colored mop away from his eyes, "I'd say I'm something of a veteran since I've been with Stalwart Shields for several years now."

"Yeah, and yet you haven't seen a single fight, just like the rest of you," The archer smirked, "Vincent, by the way. And unlike those greenhorns, I've seen some action before."

"Oh yeah?!" Robin stood up from his log, almost stepping into the bonfire, "Let us all hear of your legendary deeds again then! What was it, the Mighty Slaying of Cat Girl?"

"It was a Werecat!" Vincent rose to the challenge, glaring at the spearman, "She ambushed me when I went into the forest to hunt! Almost got me, too, but I managed to surprise her with an arrowhead to the temple when she jumped me."

"Puh-lease. Don't know how many times I need to say this, pal, but monsters are just that – monsters," The second spearman, an owner of an admittedly nice developing goatee grumbled, "Not cute girls dressed up as animals."

"Shut it, Pelo," The blue-haired swordsman from earlier reached out and smacked the nay-sayer upside the head, "You two as well, calm yourselves. Please forgive them, Witch Hunter, it is a rather… hot topic."

"Heh, 'hot,'" The last remaining sword-wielder, an unusually tall for his supposed age bundle of muscles, chuckled, "Nice one, James. If Vincent's story is anything to by, 'hot' is indeed the word I would use."

"Oh?" I mimicked Father Klaus tended to raise his eyebrow, "Do tell."

"Nothing, it's nothing!" It was downright strange to watch someone way bigger then you try their best to curl into a ball and disappear after a single phrase, "Just, eh, joking, yeah. Anyway, I'm Konan. Nice to meet you?"

"If you say so," I laughed and inclined my head to greet them proper, "I am Damien, an acolyte of the Order recently promoted to the rank of Witch Hunter. Worry not, however, for I have received plenty of training."

"Say, Sir," James asked as he opened a bag with dried meat and passed it around, "Is the story true? I mean, how do monsters really look like?"

"The archer spoke the truth," I graciously accepted the offered food, "Monsters do indeed tend to take the form similar to human women, presumably in an attempt to make our warriors stay their hand at the last possible moment. I'm sure that you have nothing to worry about but, just in case, do keep in mind that our enemy is cunning and will use every underhanded tick at their disposal to bring you down."

"Wait, seriously?" Robs exclaimed, busily chewing on his piece of meat, "Man, that's just cheap. How did they find out that a proper knight would never hurt a lady?"

"Proper knight my polished armor," Pelo huffed, "You're barely gallant enough to count as a brigand, much less a knight."

"Now now, everyone calm down," Elric tried to placate the arguing duo, "It's late, and we still have a long road ahead of us. Let's just finish eating and go sleep, yes?"

After about a minute more of pointless arguing, the group finally decided to rest. Tents were quickly occupied one by one until I was the only one left under the starry sky. I wasn't tired at all for some reason, so I volunteered for the first watch, it was no skin off my back.

Smiling softly at the dancing flames, I leaned back at observed the dark clouds roiling somewhere up above. If the cosmology of this world didn't lie, then high up above, way beyond the clouds, there was a kingdom of gods. Heaven, ironically, that served as home for the Chief God and some minor deities of the Order's pantheon, as well as their servants.

My memory back from Earth told me that Chief God was currently indisposed, having been beaten by the Demon Lord and Fallen Hero duo, so I was a tad bit curious as to what she was doing right now. My knowledge failed beyond the 'giving blessings to Heroes' part.

Speaking of, the mythology, so to speak, around here was just as polar as the rest of the world. Gods were neatly divided into pro-Demon Lord and pro-Chief God factions, with the former consisting of the Fallen God, Poseidon, Bastet, and Hel, while the latter included… huh.

Now that I think about it, the gods that I thought were on Chief God's side were actually neutral. Ares, Eros, and Bacchus all helped both humans and monsters, depending on their mood. Kind of made me feel bad for the newly appointed deity.

And, yes, all those names were quite familiar to me, though the reason why these gods exactly eluded me. In a sense that, I could understand putting a god of War or Love in your fetish dreamworld, or even a god of Alchohol, but why a god of Cats?

Not that there was anything wrong with the fluffy bastards, mind you. Even though I've always liked reptiles more. Snakes are amazing, and that's an opinion I'd fight for.

Surprisingly, sleep didn't come to me even when it started to brighten. As the Stalwart Shield's began to groan and slowly rise form their tents, I wasn't tired in the very least. I laughed good-heartedly, thinking that Father Ferdinand installed something else in me while I wasn't looking. I swear, that man…

We were done with breakfast and packed our supplies within the next half an hour and continued our trip. Judging by the map provided by the mission scroll I was given, we would soon leave the 'safe zone' and enter the monster lands. It was still Lescatie and the monsters were much less frequent than, say, in Polove but, compared to the safe zones where monsters were essentially nonexistent, the difference was noticeable.

It wasn't that the monsters weren't taken care of, not at all. It's just, Lescatie was a big kingdom with a lot of land, and it was virtually impossible to take perfect care of all of it. The villages and space around them were checked once in a while, of course, but incidents like the one Vincent mentioned still happened from time to time.

We made several more stops after that, and I slowly realized that something was wrong with my inability to get tired. The Shields gave me weird looks at first, which then quickly changed to awe when they figured out that they could sleep all night long. I was a bit envious, considering that I liked to sleep just as much, if not more but I let it go.

Action finally caught up to us to days after we left the safe zone.

"Hey, guys? Do you hear that?" Terry suddenly called out after we set up camp in the forest clearing.

"Hurry up and get some wood, we can't afford to stall for too long. Little Hills could be in dire danger even as we speak," His brother said without looking away from his saddlebags.

"I'm not joking, there's someone in the forest!"

"Look, just-"

"Shush," I called out, instantly silencing the group. Among the sounds of the wind whispering through the trees and birds singing, there was a faint munching noise. Like someone eating.

"Battle formation everyone, show me what your instructors have taught you."

"O-oi, are you for real?" Pelo audibly gulped, his usual bravado gone without a trace, "There's a monster nearby?"

At my nod, the squad dropped whatever they were doing, and formed a circle around me. Swordsmen at the edges, spearmen closer to the center, and Vincent right beside me, an arrow already tucked into his bow.

Now that I thought about it, this could be a really nice opportunity to give these poor sods some combat experiences. I didn't know which monster it was per se, but the sound had that unique ring to it that made me think that a fruit was being eaten. Of course, it could just be a carapace of some kind, although the chances of that were pretty low. Monsters didn't eat other monsters.

Well, unless they- well, I suppose I should say we- were involved.

The origin of the noise didn't seem to be eager to approach us, and I could see my escort slowly relaxing. And that wouldn't do at all, now would it?

A brief moment of concentration, and I began to expel small amounts of spirit energy from my body. It served no purpose other than to attract attention, a task that I succeeded at without a hitch. The munching stopped, causing the taskforce to tense once more. Good.

To my surprise, however, the monster soon resumed crunching on its food. Maybe it wasn't a monster at all? Normal animals still existed in this world and, unlike monsters, weren't quick to charge at the closest major source of spirit energy.

Just to be sure, I released some more, and the sounds ceased again. Definitely a monster. But why didn't it come out right away?

I got an answer to my question very soon when a childlike head with forest green hair and two large orange antennae popped out of the canopy.

Even from her, I could see some liquid splashing within the transparent feelers.

The monster's appearance caused some minor panic among the group, something I swiftly quenched, but a pair of inhuman yellow eyes were already fixated on us by that time.

"So, can any of you tell me what that is?" I asked cheerfully.

"A-a monster, Sir?" Robs' joke fell on unfertile ground as everyone was too busy studying the mamono.

"I think I know…" James whispered, visibly trying to make sure that the monster couldn't hear him, "I read about them in the library once, those two antennae… Could this be a Greenworm?"

"Ding-ding, we got a winner!" I clapped happily. I admit I was enjoying this way too much. Seeing someone's first reaction to this world's monsters was almost as intoxicating as I imagined drugs to be, "That is indeed a Greenworm. It seems you are not partial to any specifics, so let's save some time and have me explain. This particular monster is a Bug type, a rather common one at that, who prefer to live in plains and forests around the world. Now, it may seem harmless, and that's the truth for the most part, as they mostly feed on fruits and vegetables, except for this one tiny detail…"

The clearing was silent as everyone waited with bated breath, even the Greenworm looked interested in the conversation. Well, it was eyeing me weirdly, so I just assumed that it was curious too.

"After that consume enough food, their diet switches to spirit energy, monsters' usual delicacy, and they start seeking out men. See those orange feelers? They contain a weak paralyzing agent that makes you feel fatigued. However, when they are ready to find mate, it changes into a pheromone designed to attract human men. If you get too close, well, it's going to pin you down and form a chrysalis around the two of you, imprisoning you inside until she matures completely and evolves. Before that happens, the future husband is at the Greenworm's mercy, unable to even think about leaving his cage. Are we on the same page?"

Pale as sheets, the Shields' shook their heads at the same time, looking at the monster in a combination of fear and disgust. Vincent's arrow was trembling so hard it looked like it was about to launch itself in its own.

While everyone was staring at the Greenworm, I allowed myself a small satisfied smile. Preaching to the masses was the Holy Herald's job but I still received some lessons on the matter from Father Klaus. That man was a treasure trove of inquisitorial skills, with abilities ranging from mid-fight torture to cooking the perfect meal in order to appease a suspicious family.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" I clapped again, startling my unit, "Engage!"

The yell I ended my questions with was loud enough to make Vincent's hands twitch. I saw the Greenworms' eyes widen as it desperately angled its head in order to avoid the speeding projectile but I know the arrow would've missed anyway.

My plans, however, went awry almost immediately. I forgot that the rest of the squad couldn't fight an enemy hiding in the canopy, and the monster itself didn't look eager to fight seven armed men.

I quietly cursed in alarm when the head disappeared in between the leaves, and crunching sounds began to distance themselves away from us.

"Oh, come on!" I exclaimed after I burst through the formation but couldn't find the monster even with my enhanced vision. The green caterpillar girl just up and vanished amidst the greenery, "Curses!"

"S-sir?" I heard one of them call out from the clearing, "Is everything o- Sir!"

I was already dodging by the time I heard him yell, my reflexes barely saving me from the serrated bladed that cleanly cut the tree behind me in two. Wasting no time, I returned to stand in the middle of the taskforce, and stared at the suddenly silent forest with wary eyes.

"It's a Mantis," I hissed, "It's a fucking Mantis! Don't let your guard down, make a full circle around me, stop looking in one direction! You miss a spot, your head say bye-bye to the rest of your body! Shit, why is it attacking us?"

"Is it not supposed to?" Elric gulped, "It is a monster, right?"

"You damn right it's a monster," I answered, "Mantises usually ignore humans but if it decided to acquire one right now, it must be their mating season. Of all the rotten luck…"

I froze at the sudden realization. Then, I felt my eyebrow twitch violently.

"Or not, Klaus, you bastard… 'There's no chance you'll get attacked by a Mantis' my ass!"

Okay, this was bad. Mantises were fast, especially in the forested areas. The blades could cleave through trees and bears with relatively the same ease, and, as rule of thumb, they were almost incapable of feeling emotions until they found themselves a husband. They weren't called Assassins of the Forest just for laughs.

If I were to think objectively, the situation wasn't problematic at all: make sure one of the gang accidentally falls into the monster's hand, then gear up and continue traveling without a worry in the world. However, the thought left a sour taste in my mouth. The perfect solution was the same as the above, except with securing the kidnapped man's loyalty somehow, thus gaining an ally in the form a Mantis. Chief God knows we could use ourselves some monster turncoats but I just didn't have the means. No one did, not yet, even though Father Ferdinand was conducting research in that area. Demonic energy had a tendency to screw with our runes, so that wasn't an easy problem to solve.

Anyway, this was serious now, no joking around. In terms of speed, we lose. Strength, we lose. Stamina, we lose. We lost even in morale as, like I said, Mantises essentially had no morale to lose.

What we did have on our side were numbers but I've already expressed my opinion on that matter.

What to do, what to do…?

"Is it going to kill us? Terry flinched when one of the trees groaned slightly louder than the rest, "Are we going to die?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Elric's voice trembled, just like his hands, "Everything's going to be alright, your big brother is here."

I tuned out their fearful muttering and racked my brain for ideas. In a straight-up fight, we would lose horribly. Nobody would die but we would be down a fighter. Unfortunate, yes…

But I will not fail in my first real fight!

A plan began to form in my head. It was unusual, to say the least, and put me in quite a lot of danger but it was the only thing I could think of. Fortunately, the Mantis was a patient hunter, and me plenty of time to prepare.

"Hey, Vincent," I got the archer's attention and handed him a specially made plaque on which I hastily scribbled one of the more complex runes, "Hold this."

I made sure that I could feel the connection with the sleeping sigil and started to leak spirit energy in vast quantities. Now, I just had to see whether the Mantis could keep a cool head or its monster instincts, new even to the Mantis itself, would take over.

I listened closely to the sound of the forest, trying to pick out any outlandish noises. Reality didn't live up to my expectations, and the mamono proved to be better at hiding than I at seeking.

Then, I felt my energy distort.

Even though it was greatly dispersed, the energy I was releasing was still mine. Because of that, when the Mantis attacked from my left, just out of sight, I could react even without seeing her in the first place. Submitting to the instincts ingrained in me over long torturous exercises, my body bent.

Bones cracked and tendons tore but I managed to get myself out of the way of the swinging scythe. It wouldn't have killed me, of course, only blinded by my speculations. Not much better.

Despite the pain, numbed by the amulet as it was, I grinned when I saw the blade travel unimpeded and dig into Vincent's side.

"Gotcha," I whispered.

To the shock of everyone around me, as even the Mantis' eye widened just a little, the serrated edge was stuck inside the archer's body. The weapon that tore through thick trees like through the air was stopped by mundane flesh and bone. Granted, it stopped halfway through his ribcage but it still stopped.

Capitalizing on the monster's lapse in functioning, I lashed out with one my still working arms and pumped her full of holy energy in one strike. Its muscles visibly spasmed as a pained gasp escaped its lisps and purple haze began to emanate from beneath the chitin.

"Go!"

Four swords and two daggers pierced her body not a second later. A couple bounced off from the exoskeleton but the rest stabbed deep into the soft flesh, one of the swords even going directly through where its heart should be.

After that, things were a blur. The now baptized fighter collapsed from stress and exhaustion, I used some of my remaining energy to heal myself, then stabilize Vincent. I didn't have the strength right now, so I would fully heal him later. At least he'd live for now.

Gathering around the campfire once again, the Mantis' body gently held up in arms, everyone looked at me in confusion.

"How- Why did it stop?" Konan asked, bewildered, "We all saw it slice through a tree!"

I chuckled, this time with a tinge of fatigue, and held up the plaque I gave to Vincent earlier.

"With the help of this little miracle-worker," I hummed, "You know what this is? Don't answer, I know you don't, it was a rhetorical question. This rune here is made for water-walking. You carve it onto your shoes, and it allows you to traverse rivers and seas as if you're walking on dry land. Basically, it coagulates any liquids it is directed at, thus creating a solid platform under your feet. However, it has another use. You see, human bodies are mostly made of water, a little fact that makes it possible to apply this rune directly to a human body. And then, when it performs its purpose, it turns the insides into, well, a jelly of sorts. A very viscous jelly that, while not durable enough to completely block an attack completely, is more than sufficient to slow it down enough to mitigate damage. Like how it's actually rather easy to shatter diamonds despite them being extremely sturdy, except in reverse."

"That is amazing!" Terry whooped, flinging is arms high in the air, "How did you think of that? I'd never be able to!"

"Well, to quote someone very good at what he does… Imagination is a weapon. Those who don't use it die first."

I smiled at their nods of appreciation, and gently stroked the Mantis' arm blades.

Needless to say, they didn't need to know that that particular rune was widely used in torture, as it tended to cause unbearable pain to anything with half a brain, and was lethal within about twenty seconds.

Secrets of the trade, and all that.

 

[Reno hiroyuki]

I am loveing this so far

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 9.


It took some time but I succeeded in dragging Vincent back into the land of the living. He wasn't really dead in the first place, only a couple of organs were damaged by the swing of the scythe. The main problem came from the fact that his insides were a viscous mush.

It took several runic circles carved into the ground but soon the archer was back on his feet and eager for action. Although, I think he developed PTSD of some kind as he kept finding excuses to be as far away as possible whenever I decided to work on the trophies I harvested from the Mantis. From my speculation, he thought that the pain caused by the rune I gave him was actually a result of the Mantis' attack.

It did explain why he flinched whenever an especially loud noise came from the forest around us, at least.

The Shields were slightly shaken overall and were way less relaxed as we continued onwards to Little Hills. Fortunately, the monsters weren't eager to impede our trip, which gave me plenty of time to carefully examine my loot.

Despite being a bit sleepy after the monumental battle, I still volunteered to watch over the camp for the night. This gave me the opportunity to remain one on one with the Mantis' body, something that I've been looking forward to ever since it was defeated.

Father Klaus taught me a lot: psychology, martial arts, a little swordsmanship, tracking, intricacies of uncovering taint within humanity's ranks, and many more. Father Ferdinand, however, was the one from whom I picked up almost everything I knew about monsters and magic. The man was truly enamored with those subjects, going off on tangents for hours whenever I expressed particular interest in a subject.

The most important thing for someone like him, he told me once, was resource management. You couldn't create a rune if there was nothing to carve it on. You couldn't make a golem without the proper materials on hand. Science, be that magical or otherwise, required tools.

And boy did he show me to acquire them.

Naturally, the first thing I collected were the arm blades. Very sharp and very durable, I doubted that reforming them into anything else was a possibility but even so, several runes could turn them into truly terrifying weapons. Now, normally, that would've been the end of that. Mantises had only one truly defining trait, after all. But the Evervigil were nothing if not efficient.

I cut out its antennae. I ripped out the chitin. I tore the eye-like growths out of its skull. It was dirty, and it was even more tiring, but when I was done only a mangled torso with a bloodied head and thighs remained. My robe received a couple more storage runes that night.

To speak the truth, I had no idea why I needed anything other than the scythes. Blades, I could understand. Everything else? There was just this nagging feeling in the back of my head that at some point somewhere down the line I might be able to find a use for them. It was somewhat ridiculous, yes, but I've always preferred to keep what others considered unnecessary. Like several dozens of plastic bags, for example. Just in case.

Anyway, the scythes were coming along nicely. Runes for durability, runes to decrease the air resistance around the edge, runes for sharpness, runes for boiling water (we were likely to encounter slimes, after all), and many more. Even a couple utility runes, similar to the boiling one, were incorporated into my first artifact.

Those few monsters that did try to hinder us were swiftly dealt with by the rest of the squad, even without my involvement. I cheered them from the sidelines, of course, but mostly left them to earn XP on their own. Still, I happily took the spoils of war off of their hands, stuffing my spare robes with body parts as well. I don't know who exactly came up with the idea of storage runes but may Chief God bless them for allowing to put runes within runes.

By the time we finally reached the border of Lescatie, my escorts were desensitized to the admittedly scarce monster population of our glorious kingdom just enough to ignore whatever they were trying to say. The fact that I tended to plug in my moral support replicas over the monsters' pleas for mercy also helped.

I felt a little bad but quickly threw the thought out of my head. Even if I were to forget that, regardless of their personal worth, mamono as a whole were a danger to humanity, the fact that they tried to 'harvest' our spirit energy only made it fair for me to harvest them. Be ready to die if you take up a gun, and all that.

The moment plain wooden houses entered our vision, everyone breathed out a sigh of relief. I rubbed my figuratively burning eyes and turned to my companions.

"Are you capable of getting us a place to sleep without me?"

"Of course, Sir," Elric nodded, "If I may ask, will you be leaving us? It's just, I thought your goal lied in checking the village for heretics…"

"No, nothing like that," I waved him off, "As in, I'll be staying with you. I'm simply exhausted and wanted to get some sleep. But now that I think about, it would make more sense to get a room in a tavern first. Must be more tired than I thought."

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, I headed for the village. Almost right away, we were spotted by the few people walking around, and soon everyone was gathered right in front of us. Out of the crowd, an elderly man with a graying beard and half-lidded cloudy eyes stepped forward, one arm leaning onto a cane, and asked in a surprisingly firm tone.

"Greeting, Sirs. How can we help the Order today?"

Interesting, he recognized our uniforms right away. And, judging by the lack of surprise from the rest of the townsfolk, he wasn't the only one.

"And hello to you too, Elder," I addressed him by his position, "We would like to stay in this lovely village for the night if that's possible. Would you be so kind as to show us the way to our lodgings?"

Polite, concise, and not really a request, just like Klaus taught me. The old man blinked at me in confusion, before his eyes widened slightly and the hand around his walking stick tightened. I suppressed the urge to smirk at witnessing the first clue to something being fishy.

"Of course, good sirs, please follow me. Our village is not very well off but we'll do our best to make you feel welcome," He turned around and shooed the crowd away, "Off you go, don't stall our esteemed guests!"

I gestured to the Shields to get off their horses and made an example of myself. Leather boots hit the muddy ground with a wet splash, causing me to wince and look down to make sure my robes were clean. I could easily clean it with runes later but still, yikes.

The local tavern was basically a carbon copy of the one I saw in Lescatie, except made entirely out of wood. The logs that made up the walls almost surreally thick, however, and a quick look around confirmed my suspicions. There were no trees of similar size anywhere in sight.

We left our horses in the stables connected to the tavern and entered the establishment. As I stepped into the doorway, I subtly leaned to the side and took a quick whiff. Sweet and sour at the same time, I barely perceptible odor that I was nonetheless well-acquainted with. Demonic Energy.

Still, this could've been the effect of living so close to the known pro-monster nation that heavily relied on the use of monsterized elementals, so I decided not to make my judgment just yet. I wasn't naïve, and the village's relation to monsters was pretty much confirmed but something deep inside of me was reeling at thought of having to wipe out an entire village.

Because that's exactly what awaited little communities like this one, with no inherent value to the kingdom at large, should they be confirmed to have sided with mamono.

The barkeeper was a well-built man with a pair of majestic curling mustaches that were as wide as his head was long.

"Welcome, to the Blooming Bark!" He exclaimed upon seeing us enter, smashing his arms against the counter in a display of admirable physique, "I am Gerhard Strut, an owner of this finest keep. What can I do for you today?"

"We'd like to rent some rooms for the night," I smiled, "How many and what kind do you have?"

"Whatever you may need, I've got it, Sir," Gerhard boomed, "Singles, doubles, communal rooms, just name it!"

"In that case, we'll take a…" I paused. Shit. I didn't have any money. I didn't have any money! Oh, boy, quickly, think of something smart, they're looking at you, ehm… "Communal room. Will there be enough space for all of us?"

"Only if you sleep on top of each other!" He joked, "You'll need at least two if you want any comfort."

"Very well then," I turned around to look at the village elder and the rest of the team, "Take care of this, the Order will compensate. I would like to take a look at your village meanwhile, Elder."

Some eyebrows were raised but no awkward questions were asked. Perfect. I did see the old man gulp, however, and mentally sighed. Why was he even scared? I'm pretty sure the Holy Heralds did a good job at keeping up friendly appearances, and the only reason people could be scared of us is if the monsters told them something. Which was incriminating evidence in and of itself.

This was honestly a bit pitiful.

I followed the elder out on the streets and calmly raised an eyebrow at the gathered mob of people. Male down to the last member, the crowd was whispering among itself, faces unsure and fearful. Occasionally a dirty look was sent in my direction but those quickly got lost in the midst of wavering bodies.

"Is something the matter?" I asked without raising my voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the village elder's skin grow pale as the seconds ticked by.

"We, uh, just wanted to know what you want, is all," A voice called out from within the crowd, "We don't get many Order types around here so we were curious. Is all."

"What do I want from you?" I scratched my chin, fingers brushing against the rune-trimmed stubble, "Nothing in particular. My friends and I only wanted to have a roof above our heads while we had some rest. Forest life can get rather tiring for us city folk."

"Ah, 'ts good, yeh," Another man responded, "A roof is fine, everyone needs rest. Us as well. Then we just gonna, uh, go home. Yeah."

The mob soon dispersed, leaving me alone on the otherwise empty street with the elder who was doing his best to look at anything other than me. I took a deep breath and decided that too much has happened for me to continue playing dumb.

"How many?" I simply asked. He muttered something but it was too quiet for me to hear, "Louder. How many?"

"Village…" The old man mumbled, "The whole village."

"At least you're honest about it," I sighed, "And where does that leave us?"

"We didn't mean to, by the Chief God, I swear!" He turned to me with watering eyes, "They- They didn't know what they were doing!"

"Riddle me this, my friend," I looked him in the eye, "Why are you so afraid? Is the Order not your guardian? Is its purpose not to look out for humanity?"

"I, well, it's…"

"Alright, let's do it this way. Tell me, without mumbling, the whole story. And then we'll see what happens, how about that?"

And he did. It was a classic example of a human village falling into the monster's hands, really. A hunter stumbles onto a monster in the forest, they have some fun, the monster calls its friends, and soon the whole village is having fun. Truth be told, the only clue I should've needed is that I couldn't see a single woman in this entire place. They've all been monsterized already.

In this particular instance, Slimes were at fault. The buggers likely crossed the border from Polove and, being empowered by its ambient demonic energy, had no problem taking over the nearby woods.

"I still remember that day like yesterday. My boy returned from hunting with the biggest grin I've ever seen and I asked if he caught something real big. He said he found something even better," The elder closed his eyes in reminiscence, "Next thing I know, all our women are gone, and moans can be heard from across the village each night!"

"I see," I clicked my tongue, "The whole village, huh? But that still doesn't explain your fear. Was there someone else? Besides the Slimes?"

"Y-yes," He whispered, "Almost immediately after the monsters showed up, a woman appeared at my doorstep. I'm well past that age but even I could tell she was beyond anything a normal human could ever hope for. She told me to beware the Order and spoke of many horrible terrible things it has done. I couldn't believe at first, didn't want to… But then she showed me the dreams, and they just so real…"

"Hmmm," I scowled. This was bad, a nest of Slimes was something I could deal with but a full-blown plot to steal a village from Lescatie could turn out very badly. I had to contact the Evervigil before attempting anything else. Then I stilled, "Repeat the last sentence."

"Uh, she showed me realistic dreams?"

"Curses. A Succubus or a Nightmare, except the latter, don't show up in the flesh until after they've got their prey. Succubus then. And with us being this close to a monster nation… No, that's impossible. Probably just some monster decided to build its own little paradise of depravity."

I could only hope I was right. Druella's invasion… If this was the first sign, then I didn't want to be anywhere nearLescatie when that happened. The city would turn into a prison, its former citizens locked forever in an unchanging lifestyle of orgies and debauchery. I would need to run, and run far if I wanted to keep my brain intact.

But if this really was just a coincidence, and the only mastermind behind the downfall of this village was a single succubus, then running now would have me hunted as a traitor. And considering that I couldn't take the amulet off my neck, the hunt wouldn't last for very long.

My only choice was to hope that Druella wasn't making her move just yet.

By the time we finished talking, it was already getting dark. If the old man's words were to be believed, the monsters would arrive soon. I shot him a serious look.

"You told me nothing, and you get to live another day. Understood?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Then I shall take my leave. Make no mistake, we will continue this civil conversation tomorrow. And it is my dearest hope that it remains such."

The elder assured me that he had nothing but peaceful intentions in mind before speeding off to his house. I watched him go, then shook my head in dismay. What to do, what to do…

When I got back to the tavern, Gerhard was nowhere to be seen. I carefully looked around the hall and, spotting nothing suspicious, slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor where the rooms were.

I pulled out one of the runic stones from my 'utility belt' and felt it tug me in the direction of two specific doors. This particular rune worked like a magnet, being drawn towards major wells of spirit energy, which meant humans. I myself was exempt from its senses via a simple modification of the runic array.

Making sure I made as little sound as possible, I sneaked down the corridor and pressed my ear against the first of two doors.

Silence.

Then a moan.

"Fuck."

Checking the second room yielded the same results. Whatever was happening over there, it wasn't very taxing stamina-wise, so either the succubus was just having some fun before having fun or the Shields were just having an especially pleasant dream.

A scream of pure ecstasy tore through the air from outside the building, causing me violently flinch and almost drop the stone. Fortunately, I managed to recover in time to not attract any attention to myself. Approaching a window, I peeked outside and gulped.

From beyond the clouds, countless winged shadows swooped in like hawks, landing on the streets and balconies of houses all over the village. When the clouds parted, revealing the night sky, beams of moonlight struck the earth and one of the nightly invaders was finally exposed.

Soft, sensual curves barely covered by an atrociously small amount of clothing whose only purpose was to accentuate the figure. Small bony wings attached to the lower back fluttered in the breeze, weaving tantalizing patterns with their slow dance. Long and smooth, a fleshy tail with a heart at the tip coiled around her- its- leg pressing against the skin just enough to ensure that everyone in the vicinity knew that this particular thigh had just the right amount of fat on it. And to top it all, literally, a pair of dark red horns sprouted from the monster's gorgeous pink hair.

A Succubus.

Or rather, one of the many many Succubi.

"Houston…" I croaked out, clutching onto the tiny glowing stone like a lifeline, "We have a situation here… And it's not good."

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 10.


Keeping it as quiet as possible, I got my face away from the window and crouched down. This was bad. Even a single Succubus was a problem, their corruptive prowess notwithstanding. Superhuman physique, natural charisma, and overwhelming magical strength put them way above average in the monster hierarchy. They weren't anything special per se though, more like Ringwraiths if nothing else.

Great, now I feel bad for comparing those badass murderghosts to these Cathouse Tragedy rejects.

I kept a close eye on the outside, figuratively speaking, just to make sure no one was approaching the tavern. Soon, loud moans and ecstatic screams filled the night air. One would think that the atmosphere was like a party's but, personally, I felt like a visitor to Silent Hill.

In any case, we had a possible invasion on our hands and, whether I was going to get out unperturbed or not, I needed to contact the Order. Hopefully, with all that demonic energy splashing around, a tiny spark its counterpart will go unnoticed.

I took a few calming breaths and pulled out the amulet from within my robe. It was still attached to my neck, of course. Squeezing it for reassurance, I channeled a bit of holy energy into a specific runic array and waited for a response.

Only a few seconds later, a cheerful voice rang out inside my head.

"Hey, Damien! How are you doing? Did you reach the village?"I couldn't hear anything but his voice, and yet I was certain that Father Ferdinand was currently working of something. He had that unique tint of excitement in him whenever an especially interesting idea came to his mind.

"Yes, Father, I did," I whispered. Even so, my voice broke down a little, "There is a problem, however."

"Oh? Were too many… Who was supposed to be there again? Right, Slimes! Too many Slimes for you to handle?"

"Worse. I'm hiding inside a tavern, and there's a Succubi invasion in progress. Dozens, all dropping from the sky and into the houses. Slimes are here too, based on what I've learned, but I haven't seen any just yet."

The connection went silent for some time. I grew worried and pulsed with some more energy. Fortunately, I got a response before anything bad could happen.

"We don't have any free agents, or agents anywhere close to your current location, "The researcher's tone was surprisingly grave. Well, not quite surprising, just unusual for him, "But the situation you've just described is dire enough for drastic measures. We can't maintain this connection for long, so I'm simply going to say this: Try to survive, and know that, whether you succeed in that task or not, Father Klaus is already on his way. Good luck."

With that, I felt the runes powering the long-distance call deactivate. I could've tried turning them back on, of course, but there was no point. I got my orders, which worked perfectly with my personal goal at the moment, and even some reassurance.

Even if I died, mind or body, I would die knowing that every bastard in this forsaken place was destined to be slaughtered. For now, however, I needed to ensure my own survival.

There were no Succubi during the day, which meant that they tend to go away in the morning. Hopefully. The Slimes were also nowhere to be seen, so I'm just going to assume that surviving till dawn was my primary goal. Now, to specifics.

How does one survive a small army of flying superpowered wizards? Simple: One doesn't. Therefore, I had only one option to live through the night, and that was to hide and pretend I didn't exist. I had my pride, of course, and it told me that I'll be back to teach these monsters a lesson if I got away unraped but I wasn't suicidal enough to do anything that could reveal my presence here.

So, I had to find a hideout first. Leaving the tavern for off the table, at least for now. I had no way of knowing whether all the Succubi were off the streets and busy, and running into one was a Game Over. That left me with hiding in this building.

I quickly scanned the corridor I was in for potential spots, and, to my relief, saw the third door. The other two were currently occupied by my team, though I suppose they were my former team now. Still crouching, I slowly approached the third door and pressed my ear against it.

It seemed to be empty, which actually made sense, considering that this was a rather small village. Everyone had their own house, and all. Whatever unfortunate visitors could've stopped by, they weren't here. Which was good. And not only for me.

Just as I reached out to twist the doorknob, I heard the tavern entrance swing open.

"Hello-o, anybody home?" A sweet melodic sound filled my ears, causing me to freeze right before I could open the door, "A little birdie told me we had guests, so I wanted to give a proper greeting. Don't worry, you can come out. I promise I won't do anything you wouldn't want me to."

Crap.

Okay, so it knows we're here but doesn't know where exactly. It wouldn't last for long, however, and I needed to take cover before I was discovered. I glanced at the door with suspicion, keeping half an eye on the staircase. If it made a noise, even the tiniest of creaks, the monster would hear it.

Which meant I had to waste time making sure that wasn't a possibility.

"Now that's not nice at all, did no one teach you that you can't keep a lady waiting?" It tried to sound angry but quickly broke down into giggles, "Aw, I just can't stay mad at you, whoever you are. Oh, I know! How about a game of hide and seek? I'm seeking, of course, unless you would like to try…?"

A monologue, great. Well, more power to Succubus, I can't say I disliked the extra time those ramblings gave me.

"Bah, you're no fun. Unless you want me to seek you out, that is!" A wave of chirpy laughter spread through the tavern, "Naughty-naughty you… I'll make sure to teach you some proper manners later, though. I hope you're looking forward to it because I sure am!"

She- it- practically sang the last part, a tantalizing voice that was soon replaced by the sound of heels clicking against the wooden floor.

Fortunately, the Succubus decided to look around the first floor first.

When I finally finished carving the runes around the door and hastily swung it open, a thought struck me like a thunderbolt. There were runes around the door. Very noticeable runes.

Barely suppressing the curse that was about to leave my lips, I turned to look at the two unmarked doors beside me. Guess we'll just have to pretend someone inside one of those rooms put the wards. Sorry, folks, but better you than me.

I sliced the last array into the wood when the heels clicked closer to the staircase. I had to go now.

Still paying more attention to being quiet rather than being fast, I reached the empty room and threw myself inside. Naturally, the moving door didn't make a sound.

"Aw, you can't be telling me you're already asleep and- What's this? Runes? Oh my, oh me, did we get some visitors from the Order? Ah, this is going to be a real party, I just know it!" The monster happily exclaimed, then rapidly- was she running?- got close to the three doors. I heard a door swinging open, "Mhm, look at you, sleeping so peacefully… I hope you don't mind a little surprise for when you wake up! Now to make sure it won't get spoiled too early, and... done. Girls! We've got some Order boys starving for attention here, do I have any volunteers?!"

I twitched at the sudden influx of flapping wings in the air around the building but kept my calm. The room was plain, with fours beds located by each of the walls, four wardrobes, and a table with four chairs in the middle. Apparently, the owner kept the singles and doubles somewhere other than the second floor.

More importantly, however, I saw a window with shadows moving on the other side. Okay, time to hide. The beds were immediately discarded because come on, who wouldn't check under the bed when trying to find someone?

That left the wardrobes and… that was it. Not a fun situation to be in. I ignored the choir of excited murmurs coming from a room away and moved for the closest wardrobe to the door, while making sure to stay the hell away from the window.

Nobody's going to think I hid in the closest hiding spot to the entrance point… Or maybe they will. Then I'd have to hide in the furthest, except that's exactly what they'd want me to do! So, I'm still going to hide in the closest closet! Reverse Psychology rules!

But not before I cover my bases.

I crawled towards the window and peeked through to check for Succubi. There were none. Holding a breath, I painfully slowly opened the window, ensuring that there was nothing that could've disclosed my presence. This way, if anyone comes in, there was a chance they'd think I escaped through the window.

The deed done, I rolled my shoulders to work the fatigue away and hid inside the chosen wardrobe.

There was a brief moment of silence, except for my own rapidly hammering heart, during which I pondered on why in Chief God's name did I hear moans coming from the other communal rooms if the Succubi weren't there in the first place. The answer came to me quickly, however, when a sweet scent tingled my nostrils. Demonic energy.

They were just having a particularly nice dream after all…

When a sudden scream of surprise ripped through the air, I almost kicked the closet's door open. It was swiftly replaced by a moan of pleasure, however, a primal sound that chilled me down to the bone. It wasn't just the sheer carnality of it all, it was the fact that I felt something respond from within me. A sudden urge, a desire to leave the safety of this room and go see for myself what was happening.

Was this what being in corrupted territories felt like?

My focus snapped to my right hand that was currently pressing against the door. Dangerous, supremely so. I was taught that monsters were just that, beasts. Even though my knowledge back from Earth told me otherwise, I couldn't think of them as anything else. I've seen them live, thinking of nothing but the most basic of animal instincts. I've seen them die, turn into cooling corpses that I was told were simply piles of flesh. There was no soul, no higher consciousness in them, only meat, bone, organs, and a fierce desire to make more of their spawn.

Animals.

But this was something else. I didn't give much thought to my first encounter with a truly sapient mamono, back on the day I was summoned into this world. They, too, were alive. Like humans. They, too, could think, like humans. And just like humans, they possessed that little something, that tiny spark of ingenuity that carried our race from flinging stones to building nuclear warheads.

This epiphany didn't make me like them. It didn't make me pity them. It didn't make me break down in tears, thinking about what humanity has done to another sapient race, the Evervigil especially. No.

It made me scared.

I've seen what humanity could do, and we didn't have magic. We didn't have physical gods to protect us. We only had that spark buried inside, and look what we've reached. And yes, I included the two World Wars in that statement.

Mamono, on the other hand? They were specialized, like a giant hive of cells. Dwarves and Cyclopes forged weapons and armor. The Witches' Sabbath delved into the mysteries of magic. Dragons ruled the skies, and Kraken prowled deep beneath the waves. And to top it all, Succubi who could fuck their way to godhood. Not to mention that basically every single monster was physically superior to your average human.

So, yeah, I was scared. Very scared. Even with my emotions dampened due to the weresheep wool woven into the amulet's chain, I felt fear corrupted my reasoning. I began to hyperventilate.

Just like us but better.

Just like us but better.

Just like us but better.

...Better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better…

I dug my teeth into my tongue and cheek, snapping out of the panic loop. I was still breathing hard but at least now I was capable of responding to outside stimuli.

Still though. If things continue as they were, humanity was in danger. The entire human race of this world was threatened by the mere existence of mamono. And, worst of all, world travel was possible. Any other time I would cheer and dance at such knowledge but, in this situation, it was something I didn't want to be real. Because if I could travel here…

Then mamono could travel to Earth. To my parents. To my family. To my friends. To the almost eight billion people who lived there.

…

I couldn't allow it.

I wouldn't allow it.

Suffer not the xenos to live, indeed…

"And what do we have here, mhm?" What I thought was the sweetest of honeys was now the foulest of poisons in my mind's eye, "Could it be that someone is too shy to come out and play? Well, don't be afraid, I promise you'll absolutely love it here with us… Big Sister's word!"

The heels echoed through the room before stopping where I imagined the table to be, right in the center. My face probably looked calm but inside I was seething. Those idiots, they gave me away after only a couple minutes of Succubi's attention! This, this was why Order behaved like it did, because every heretic left untouched brought downfall to everyone around him, like a string of dominos falling off the cliffside and into the abyss.

There was a surprised noise and the sound of curtains drawn open, then an annoyed click of a tongue, "Oh poo, be like that, why don't you. Bah, Milicent's going to brag about her husband again. So what if she managed to snare a Witch Hunter, I could too if I wanted to! Still though, this was my third opportunity… Why do they always leave whenever they get the chance?"

With a sigh so full of heartache it made me want to vomit, the Succubus moved away from the window and headed towards the door.

One steps, two steps, three steps, four steps…

I heard the door swing open.

Releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding, I closed my eyes and sent a quick prayer to the Chief God. I knew she was probably busy right now but a man could hope, right?

When I opened my eyes, I was looking at the twin orbs of deep blue, the sheer vibrancy of the irises threatening to drag me inside and never let go.

"At least you'll stay with me, won't you, sweetie?"

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 11.


The Succubus from before was right in front of me now, her face mere inches away from mine and our noses almost touching. Frozen in both surprise and fear, I could only watch as her delicate hand gently stroked my cheek, her eyes never leaving mine.

"My-my, aren't you just the most precious little thing?" The second arm circled around my shoulders, and I was easily pulled out of the closet. Her arms didn't even shake under my weight, "Nothing to be afraid of, sweetie, Big Sister will make all your worries go away."

She paused and glanced at the wall as if seeing right through it into the adjacent room.

"On second thought, I think I like your idea more," I was pushed back into the wardrobe, a barely visible purple haze surrounding its surface before it suddenly grew much more spacious, "I hope you don't mind if I join you in there?"

With a lazy beat of two leathery wings, the Succubus floated inside my former hiding spot, its door closing right behind her. The only remaining source of light was the soft purple glow coming from everywhere, its mystifying radiance somehow accentuating the curves of the monster sitting in front of me.

"Why the silent treatment?" She smiled and pulled her knees up to her very sizable chest, "Don't tell me you have nothing to say to such a wonderful visitor. Though, I guess, it is a compliment in its own right, so thank you."

"B-blast," I stammered. I needed to find a way out but there was no way out. If she could affect space on any level whatsoever, her power was way beyond what I was capable of. And that's forgetting that she could simply overpower me through physical means. And, even if that wasn't the case, I was still surrounded by demonic energy from all sides, and a whole cohort of Succubi was having fun right behind a wall, "So this is it, huh? Caught by a Succubus in the middle of nowhere, of all the rotten luck…"

"You sound like you're upset about something," The monster pouted, her expression a mocking caricature of a child who just had her favorite doll taken away. Then, her lips twisted into a sly smile, "Would you like me to help with that? Some… consolation, perhaps?"

"Quit your games, monster," I hissed, clenching my hands into fists in order to hide the trembling fingers, "It pains me to say so but I find myself at your mercy, figuratively speaking. And since I lack both the means and the resolve to finish myself off before you get to me… I highly advise you to do it with your own hands."

"Kill you?" The devious glint in her eyes shattered into a million pieces, replaced with honest confusion, "No-no-no, I have an idea of what that Order of yours drilled into your pretty little head but that is completely wrong. Mamono don't kill humans!" She suddenly blushed, "Well, sometimes accidents happen, of course, especially when some of the more aggressive ones get too excited… Oh, you don't have to fear anything from me though, we Succubi take extra care making sure that everyone is happy!"

Was she for real? True, monsters rarely killed anyone in person but was she incapable of seeing the greater picture?

"Are you mad?"

"Hey now!"

"Even if you don't kill humans, you are killing humanity! Your obsession with procreation will lead an entire race into oblivion! Monsters give birth only to more monsters, and with every human kidnapped, our species loses potential lineages worth of population. Your inability to keep it in your pants doomed my kind to extinction!"

I was panting after that outburst, a surge of adrenaline causing my mouth to run rampant. Even so, I was thankful. Every second I won by stalling increased my chances of survive. This particular Succubus appeared to be docile enough, maybe I could talk her into wasting more time?

"No!" She disappeared right before my eyes, and, before I realized what happened, I was already lying on my back, her hands pressed into my shoulders and her eyes tearing up, "You don't understand, the Demon Lord plans to change that! Once we are all united in love, she will have enough power to allow mamono to have incubi children! No one is becoming extinct, you hear me? No one!"

Her face descended closer to mine, pink hair falling like a waterfall around us until nothing in the world remained but a beautiful face and blue eyes full of worry. She stopped just short of our lips touching, her hot breath tickling my nose.

"Nobody is in danger… Everything will be fine…" I felt something soft brush against my chest while her tail coiled around my leg. My heart was beating faster than ever before, a quiet voice in my head begging me to reach forward and kiss her growing ever stronger, "There is no one to protect because no one is in need of your protection. You can rest now…"

"You said…" I managed to breathe out, "You said that the Demon Lord will make it so incubi could be born. Are you sure that is the truth?"

"Yes, I am," The Succubus smiled again, something playful glinting in her eye, "Though, if you don't believe my words… We could always confirm it ourselves. What do you say?"

I am not going to lie. I am not a being of purity or virtue, not a paladin whose willpower is enough to resist the temptations of the Devil himself. No hero to face Death itself and smile. I was no Ollanius Pius.

So, yes, I was tempted, so very tempted. Never had a girlfriend in my entire life, always thought it was a waste of time. Even when I stared at the blank ceiling lying alone in my room, I knew that such ties would only impede my life on the road I wanted to take. I quietly laughed at those who cried after breakups, mocked those who found solace in another's embrace.

One didn't need friends. The notion of being incapable of doing anything alone was ridiculous. If you could lift couch by yourself, you just weren't strong enough. Inability to invent something meant not being smart enough. There was no deed one couldn't do on their own if they were fit enough, in a Darwinian sense.

But maybe, just maybe, I was only jealous? Jealous that no one would cheer me up when I was down, jealous that no one would share my joy when I succeeded… Jealous of being loved by anyone outside family.

My soul begged me to reach up. My body trembled, and my hands already circled around the small of the Succubus' back.

"I…"

"Shhhh… No words." She leaned even closer and I stilled, as even the slightest of movements would seal our lips together.

"I…"

I saw her draw in the gust of air I breathed out and smile in adoration.

"Delicious. Come now, let me taste you for real this time…"

My muscles spasmed. My entire being ached and groan, tearing at the remaining chains my mind cast around it. I wanted to ask her what she was waiting for. I wanted to ask her to lean in because wasting even another second trying to do so myself brought me pain. I wanted to accept her, to forget about everything else and to lose myself to an ocean of please and Love. I wanted-

Pathetic. I am so pathetic. Look at me, begging for someone's attention. Oh please, kiss me, love me, never let go! What a waste of space. If that's who I truly am, becoming this whore's pet really is mercy. Just think, the mighty Damien, future scientist extraordinaire, losing a battle of wills to a promise of not being alone anymore. Weak. Weak, weak, weak, weak!

"I…"

And just like that, it's all gone. Dreams, hopes, aspirations, all lost to a vortex of desire. And after all that bragging, too. Oh, I don't need no girlfriends! I can easily live my life alone! When you'll be worried about the kind of ring to buy for your wedding, I'll be breeding monsters in my secret underground labs! I guess I should rejoice then. Even if the lab part won't come true, breeding monsters still remains as an option.

Yay me.

"I…"

"Are you alright? Did… did you hurt yourself in some way while I wasn't looking?"

Hm? Why am still resisting? I want this, right? Go on, worm, fall into her embrace. Tell her you love her the most. Tell her that you've finally found Love. Oh, and don't forget to introduce her to your parents when you invite her back to Earth. I'm sure they will be thrilled. My friends, too.

"My…"

Oh, I'm changing the tune? Nice, that broken record was starting to get on my nerves. What was I going to say though? My body is ready? Heh.

…

Disgusting. I guess my flesh prevailed over my spirit after all…

…

"My body…" I whispered hoarsely, "You may take my body…"

Hmmm?

"But you shall never have my mind!" I roared and flooded every ounce of holy energy I could produce at a moment's notice into storage runes.

My robe bulged. Then it strained. And then, my world was filled with flying body parts, blood gushing everywhere. Feathers, scales, chitin, blades and tentacles, every single trophy I stuffed inside this robe on my way to the village was released at the same time.

The wave of gore smashed into the Succubus, her eyes widening at the sudden development, and throwing her against the opposing wall of the wardrobe.

My mind still reeling from pressure and drowned in conflicting feeling, I barely managed to prop myself up and push towards the closed doors. My body slammed into the wood, violently throwing the door open, the booming sound silencing everything else for an instant.

As I dropped onto the floor and began to crawl in the direction of the window, the doors to the room opened and a dark blue mop of hair peeked in.

"Elibeth, is that you?" I saw her blink in confusion at the open wardrobe before slowly following the trail to where I was heaving on the floor, "Oh. Oh! My-my, what a find! Would you care to join us in the room next door? I promise you won't regret it!"

She hopped up to me and gave me a wink. Then she paused and looked at my shaking hands.

"Ah, my bad! I didn't realize you were hurt, sorry! Here, let me help you," The Succubus crouched down and picked me, though her hands gave in a little when my full weight dropped onto them, "All better?"

Wait a minute.

I looked at her in bewilderment, a sight that caused her to giggle and lean in to brush her nose against mine. I ignored the way my body pulsed in response, and instead focused on the way she felt.

Something was wrong. She wasn't as strong as that Elibeth physically, and she didn't possess even half of her energy! She was…

She was a Lesser Succubus.

A weak chuckle sneaked past my lips, a sound that made her pause and lean in even further.

"Did you say something?"

"Yeah," I wheezed, "You're new, aren't you? You all are, except that Elibeth of yours… Newly turned, still weak… Lesser Succubi."

"Oh, yes!" She smiled and nodded vigorously, "I'm still new to this whole mamono business but it's plenty fun, let me tell you! I've never thought that life could be so… so… worth it."

I felt the tethers of demonic energy woven into the wardrobe I just escaped twitch. Whatever the properSuccubus was wasting her time on, she was about to stop. I needed to get out of here, now.

"You know," I began weakly, "You seem nice enough, so why not. This whole Order business was too stressful for me anyway."

"Yes, exactly! I'm so happy to hear it, you won't believe me! Let's go, I'll introduce you to the rest and we can spend some bonding time together," A blush began to spread around her neck, as the chest pressing into my side dug in even further.

"Actually…" I made a show of averting my eyes, "I was wondering if we could go outside. I've always loved nature…"

"Well…"

"And it would be my first time…"

The energy surrounding the wardrobe went berserk but the Lesser Succubus was already flying above the houses with me in a bridal carry.

"A-ha!" She landed somewhere close to an idyllic-looking lake. I vaguely remembered passing it by a few minutes before our group first reached the village, "This spot is wonderful, don't you think? I used to hang out here all the time as a kid. You could say I grew up in this place. I'm Rita, by the-"

Tuning her out, I condensed whatever energy I could gather and pushed it into her brain. Being just a newborn Lesser, she had barely more power than a normal human, and I could easily overpower the passive defenses her demonic energy tried to put up. In a flash of gold and violet, the Lesser Succubus dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Fuck my life," I groaned, rolling over on my back. Everything hurt. And it wasn't the pleasurable ache now either, it was actual pain. I hated pain, "Not literally though… I just got out of that particular predicament."

A distant clap of air caused me to snap my mouth shut and speedily make my way under one of the nearby bushes.

Please don't notice me, please don't notice me…

Something gently landed beside the lake.

Dang it.

"Rita…" There was a sob, "You didn't deserve this, any of this… Poor girl, you just wanted to make people happy, didn't you? I'll find him. I'll find him for you, and make sure that your wish comes true. I'll make him happy if that's the last thing I do!"

I tensed my ribcage to prevent the lungs from drawing in air. I was a stone. I was the ground. I wasn't alive, not truly, just an unrelated piece of the landscape-

"So, please, don't resist. I know what you may think but this is for your own good. You'll thank me later, my word," Elibeth spoke. Her words were solemn, yet they still carried a tint of eagerness. She was sad at her friend's death, undoubtedly so, but not enough to let it cloud her… reasoning? Whatever she had for reasoning, I guess.

Worse yet, she knew I was here. Or maybe she wanted to me think she knew I was here!

"We've been through this already, and you do remember how it went last time, yes?" Of course i do, you gave the jumpscare of my life, you crazy woman. Now go away, there's nothing to see here.

I was doing my best to suppress the twitching of my chest desperately trying to suck in some air when an exasperated sigh rang through the clearing.

"You know I can see the edge of your robe, right?"

I left it there to knock you off my trail!

"It's twitching."

Distraction!

I moved to summon a stone with the conflagration rune inscribed on it but came out empty. A chill ran down my spine as I remembered that I cleared out my inventory, including the two other robes I had there.

"Goddammit." I was lifted by an invisible force and floated right up to the pouting Succubus, "Just so you know, my mind is clearer now. At last, all too well I can see where you all soon will be. Dead."

"Was that a quote?" She cocked her head.

"Not one you'd recognize, barbaroi." I sneered.

"I have to say," The Succubus narrowed her eyes and licked her lips, "You are much more interesting when you're talking. I daresay… You would make an excellent partner for some lucky girl. Still pure, too…"

"Forgive me if it sounds all too familiar to you, but we've been through this already," I clicked my tongue, whatever fear I had giving way to exhaustion and annoyance, "You tried, and failed, to screw with my brains. So either do something or leave me here. I won't repeat myself, my mind belongs to me!"

"I think I have a better idea," I was levitated closer, and Elibeth turned her back to me, then leaned on my shoulder. As a result, I was given a rather interesting view which I gave a brief moment to appreciate, then rolled my eyes and raised my eyebrow at her, "You're no fun. Anyway, I think the best way to help you change your mind is to give you a front-row seat to the action! So, I'm thinking of gathering everyone in the tavern and, well, putting on a bit of a show for you. No acting, of course, only the most realistic of plays in our theater."

"You…" I didn't even bother to conceal disgust, "Sick. You're sick."

"Don't be like that, there's nothing to be ashamed of," I was dropped into her waiting arms and we took off into the skies. I subtly probed her for energy and had to suppress a shiver at the veritable sea of corruptive power. Even without coming in direct contact, it felt sticky and mucus-y to my senses. Yuck.

The Succubus pressed me closer to her chest as if to shield from the cold air. I growled. She giggled.

We quickly reached the familiar window, and I could even catch the glimpse of the wardrobe with its doors smashed open. However, I was carried around the building, and hauled in through the main entrance where dozens of Lesser Succubi were waiting alongside their… eager partners.

"Ah, everything is in order, it seems," Elibeth exclaimed upon entering and was answered with sultry and cheerful nods.

"If everything were in Order, you'd be burned at the stake," I whispered mostly to myself. Her response was a light shake.

"Shush, adults are talking," She reprimanded me with a smile and then turned to her audience, "Today we are gathered here to-"

"I'm eighteen," I interjected.

There was a moment of silence.

"Good," The Succubus grinned and slightly lifted me up, like a child showing their Christmas gift to the parents, "As I was saying, we are gathered here to show this perfectly aged prude how people with a heart have fun. It is our duty to-"

"I have a wonderful four-chambered heart, I'll have you know. Unlike whatever mutated ball of taint you have in your chest."

"Oh, and would you like to know what 'mutated ball of taint' exactly do I have in my chest?" I didn't even bother resisting when she pressed me against herself even further. Succubi strength was… unfair, really, "I don't mind, you know? Anyway, you can have your fun but please stop interrupting. I'm doing important work here. Where was I again? Oh, right. We'll show our dear guest what it feels like to be truly happy with your beloved one."

I was gently placed onto a chair, to which I soon found myself bound with dark purple tendrils of smoke. The runic array on the inside of my robe heated up a little.

"Since we want to him to come to the right conclusion on this matter by himself, you are not to engage in any untoward activities with him. You just need to show him how wonderful it is to Love and be Loved. Could you do that for him?"

A choir of excited voices answered her, among which I heard a few familiar ones. I dared to spare a single glance in their direction and saw my former team, wide smiles on their faces, support a harem's worth of Lesser Succubi that were leaning on them. I cringed at the thumbs up Pelo shot me and turned back to look at Elibeth.

"You know I won't be broken, right?"

"Of course you won't, no one will break here! And no need to be so aggressive you are in no danger whatsoever! I could, naturally, show you the pleasures you've only dreamed of myself but I'd really appreciate it if you asked me to do it," She bowed until her face was on the same level with mine and slowly breathed in, "And don't think I'm not aware of the more defensive uses of that amulet you're trying to hide. I'm not going to lie and say that I can take it off right now… But with enough demonic energy in the air, I'm fairly confident that I could free your mind from whatever is holding you back. Don't worry, though, I will personally nurse you back to full health once your mental chains are broken. But, for now, I shall be upstairs, waiting to come at your first call… Make sure to not keep a lady waiting, will you?"

"Your attempt at torture is pathetic and you should feel ashamed of yourself," I spat but then smiled sweetly, "Why don't you come with me and I'll show how real professionals do it?"

Her eyes widened.

"Y-you know the Butchers?" Came a whisper. I almost missed her finger twitch.

"Interesting term, though I can't say I've heard it before," I straightened and raised my eyebrow in curiosity, "Would you care to attach any names to that title?"

"That's what mamono call the more… zealous ones of your Order," She breathed a sigh of relief, "But if you don't know what I am talking about then you should be fine. Trust me, you'd understand if you ever saw them."

The Succubus shivered.

"A-anyway, please, enjoy your stay!" She turned to the staircase and began to move away from me, while the future orgy around me kicked into gear.

"Not even gonna ask about the body parts?!" I screamed after her, halting the party to a stop.

She looked at me and gave a strained smile.

"What body parts?"

What did she mean what body parts? Was she blind, or just delusional? Though, maybe the latter was closer to the truth. She did look a bit paler than usual, after all. Interesting.

"The ones you all will soon be joining," I taunted her, "I'm going to hack you into itty bitty pieces, take everything useful, and then sell the rest on Amazon, you hear me?!"

Come on, you monster, get angry. Feel pity for your desecrated comrades and strike me down. I'd prefer to keep my mouth shut and stall for time if this were any other case but this was a den of Succubi. There was no way she'd actually let me survive the night unmolested. She'd get bored, or frustrated, and if she took the matters into her hands with all seriousness, I knew that there was nothing I could do. If I was going to die anyway, it better be now, before I witness the infamous Succubi debauchery.

"You won't," she shook her, smiling sadly, "Because deep inside, you don't feel that hatred that you want me to think you have. You're a better person than you can imagine."

I stared at her back as the Succubus sashayed her way up the stairs. when vanished beyond the ceiling, and the moans picked up again, I ground my teeth together.

A better person than I imagined? Maybe. But I'll be damned if I let a bit of sweet-talking change my mind. Even I felt bad, even if I didn't really want to do something a 'bad person' would, I'd still do it after that particular tidbit. Because us humans?

We had one very interesting emotion that most people tended to forget about. Clingier that grudges. More empowering than love. Capable of causing destruction greater than wrath or hatred ever could.

Spite.

"And I'm going to torch this whole place to the ground, simply to prove you, oh Elibeth, wrong."

An especially sharp moan triggered my reflexes and my eyes blitzed to the right, where Terry and some busty Lesser were starting to get more excited than necessary.

Groaning, I gathered whatever holy energy I could sneak past my shackles, and did the only thing I could do.

I tweaked the runes to completely shut off my vision.

Out of spite.

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 12.


I knew that vision was an integral part of the way humans perceived the world. If I'm remembering correctly, it is even considered the main sensory input we possess. What I didn't know, was just how vitally important it really was.

Some… time has passed since the 'party' around me began in the earnest. Groans and moans, screams of pleasure and ecstasy, it all blended together into a cacophony of pure carnality. Eventually, it became background noise. The only noise, granted, but still background. Perhaps it's been minutes, perhaps hours. Maybe even days, though I doubted it.

Time was a bit hard to track when you couldn't see proof of things happening. I was just there. Floating in a black void filled with hedonistic screams. Of course, I could still feel the wooden chair under me and the rare breeze brushing against my face but all that paled in front of the sheer quantity of information my ears fed to the brain.

I was blind to the world. I was effectively deaf to the world, as well.

Even worse was the fact that I couldn't fall asleep to skip all this crap. Despite all that training, I still couldn't drift away until all major sources of light and sound were eliminated. Usually, I reached the desired result by soundproofing my room and then shutting down my eyesight. Here, the former wasn't an option, and so I had to power through.

Although, to be honest, it was much easier than I expected. Turns out that without visual confirmation, reproductive instincts were way more difficult to activate. It made things less awkward, sure, but didn't exactly help me in this predicament.

At some point, I felt something cool poke against my lips and automatically opened my eyes and turned on the eyesight. Elibeth's pouting face greeted me as she continued to poke a spoon with some soup in it against my mouth. I little tweak to the runes ensured that I could only see in a direct line, sparing me the pain of watching what was happening around the room.

Cold metal touched my lips again.

"Really?"

"You need to eat, dummy!" The spoon went deeper and lightly scraped my teeth, "And I'm not letting you starve yourself, so open your mouth and eat up! I made the soup myself if that helps."

"It doesn't-," I tried to sigh but then realized my mistake when the Succubus capitalized on the opening and force-fed me, "Curses. Fine. Can I do it myself at least?"

"No can do!" She blew a raspberry at me, the monster, "You might try something fancy, and we don't want you to leave before the main event, do we now?"

"Speak for yourself," I grumbled, swallowing another spoonful. The food was obviously spiked with demonic energy just like everything else but I doubted that she put anything worse in it, like special Demon Realm products. And I couldn't exactly not eat if I wanted to be at my best when the opportunity to escape presented itself. And yes, I was aware that that window was shrinking as rapidly as demonic energy was gathering in this room.

And let me tell you, there was a lot of it. The purple miasma was visible to the naked eye, streams of power coursing the air, coiling around whatever they could grasp. Some even tried to ensnare me but the combined forces of the amulet and robe pushed them back time after time.

I could feel both artifacts grow hotter and hotter with every passing moment, the amulet giving me flashbacks to when I first unlocked my spirit energy. I had to endure the pain, however, because, well, I simply had no other choice. Even I could take it off I wouldn't because that meant speeding up my transformation into an incubus.

Judging by the smile on Elibeth's face, however, the moment wasn't too far off.

"Did you like it?" She asked after I was done eating, "I had to consult the cookbooks in the kitchen but I think it was pretty good!"

"I've had better," I rolled my eyes then blinked, "Props for trying, though… I guess?"

"Oh, you're so sweet! I knew you had it in you!" The Succubus hopped on the spot a couple times, her tail bending into a shape of a stylized heart, "Aaaah, I can't wait to take that filthy collar off of you! Don't worry, it's not going to take long. The night is almost over but we're almost done too. Just a couple hours and you can finally join in on the fun!"

Several hours left? It took me weeks to get here on horseback, and unless the Evervigil have some teleportation devices or something, Father Klaus is going to be late. Well, to be fair, the real question was whether they'd use those devices or not because I was fairly certain that they existed.

Still though, just a couple hours? The sheer hopelessness of the situation was a bit annoying but if video games taught me anything it was the fact that the game was never over until it said Game Over. In other words, as long as one was alive, things could change very quickly and very drastically.

So, my lips pressed into a thin line, I continued glaring at the eager Succubus.

"Alright, I'm going to wash this now," She picked up the dishes, "Oh, by the way. I hope you're enjoying the atmosphere. They're really trying, you know? Usually, having so many people together is a bit embarrassing even for us. Give them some appreciation, okay?"

She winked at me and moved out of the tunnel of my vision. Without a word, I shut it off again.

…

Can you please shut the fuck up?!

In a vain attempt to drown attempt the headache-inducing sounds, I began to drum a random beat on the chair. It wasn't anything specific, just sounds that formed a pattern instead of the utter chaos that surrounded me.

Slowly, the rhythm began to change into something familiar, a melody that was very dear to my heart. I felt somewhat dirty for bringing it into this room at this time but as the song started to play out inside my mind, the worries drifted away.

With the steady beat of drums, the song that introduced me to the fantasy genre, the song that lifted up my spirits whenever I felt down, the song that whispered that somewhere far away there was an exciting adventure waiting just me, played inside my head.

Spoiler: The Song

"Far over…" I whispered under my breath, "The misty mountains cold…"

The strength holding my neck straight disappeared, and my head dropped to the side.

"To dungeons deep… and caverns old…" The noises around me were dwindling, the screams and moans getting more and more quiet until the only thing remaining in the empty void was the sound of my own voice, "We must away… ere break of day… to seek the pale enchanted gold…"

The land of hopes and dreams. The land of fantasy and magic. Where dragons soared over the clouds, and great terrors lurked deep beneath the waves. Where dreadful necromancers summoned armies of the damned, and brave heroes kissed their family last goodbyes before going into the unknown.

The unexplored land of the unknown. The land where I could mean something.

"The dwarves of yore… made mighty spells…" I slightly raised my voice, the hot feeling in my chest tightening with every word, "While hammers fell… like ringing bells…"

I, Witch Hunter Damien of the Evervigil, have a dream. To live a life worth living. To die with a satisfied smile on my face and fulfillment in my heart. And what better way to do that that achieve something great? Something worth telling generations after?

Good or Evil, it matters not. In the grand scheme of things, our planet, our world, humanity, mamono, none of that meant anything. Dust on the face of the universe. So was it really wrong to want being remembered?

"In places deep… where dark things sleep…" Me being picked up by the Evervigil was a blessing in disguise. Sure, they were sociopathic maniacs but the opportunities they offered were immense. I could reach unimaginable heights, maybe even save this world alongside Earth! In order to leave my mark in history… I would not give up in the face of a mere Succubus. Of a mere Demon Lord. Dust, everything was dust, including myself! Everyone was equal before the gaze of dying stars! "In hollowed halls beneath the fells!"

I continued singing my heart out, fists tightening until blood began to drip from beneath my fingertips. My role was to protect humanity. And that's exactly what I was going to do!

Clicks and hisses echoed from my neck. The heat given off by my clothes was now unbearable. I could feel the smoke infusing itself into my lungs with every breath I took. The tips of my fingers and toes were tingling, a pleasant soreness spreading throughout my body.

"…Far over… the misty mountains cold…" Soft fingers traced my collarbone and circled around the chain on the amulet, "To dungeons deep… and caverns old."

I returned my vision to look directly into Elibeth's eyes and scowl.

"Do your worst."

The amulet hit the ground with a clang.

Immediately, everything blurred. Since I couldn't produce holy energy by myself, with the amulet gone, the runes were de-powering. My perfect eyesight was gone. The protections offered by my robe were extinguished within seconds, cut off from the energy supply. Completely defenseless, my flesh could offer nothing to resist the tidal wave of demonic energy that rushed into my every cell.

I bit my tongue to prevent myself from moaning as the air turned to sweet nectar and a bouquet of aromas was stuffed directly into my nose. I could understand the turncoat slightly better now because demonic energy made you feel good. Never tried any myself but I was more than sure that any drug created by my people didn't even begin to compare.

Against my will, my eyes swerved in every direction, drinking in my surrounding. Everything looked so beautiful. However blurry, all the faces were beyond what was humanly possible, the bodies more gorgeous than could be imagined. I felt like I was in heaven.

But then I began to feel.

Colors snapped into existence, turning gray world I thought was full of colors into an amalgamation of rainbows. The fear I felt when first opened my eyes to Elibeth returned tenfold. That knot in my gut when I saw the Evervigil's storage rooms? Terror. The sight of Zombies rising from beneath the sands of the arena? Panic.

My entire being was going haywire under the storms of heightened emotions. With the weresheep wool woven into the amulet, the one thing that allowed me to keep a cool head was gone. And with the sudden sensory influx from demonic energy?

I screamed. I wept. I begged and cursed, and raged, and cried, and laughed, and moaned, and shook, and-

"Sh-sh-sh, everything's going to be fine now," Something warm enveloped me into a tight embrace, "I'm here, I'm right here. You have nothing to be afraid of."

I instinctively hugged back, tears streaming down my face, and tried to curl into a ball and disappear. It was just too much, everything was too much…

I felt myself being gently lifted and carried somewhere. I opened my eyes inside an empty room, lying on the bed, with Elibeth kneeling beside it. Her eyes were full of worry, and… care? Did she care about me? Was I really important?

"Of course you are," She whispered, slowly stroking my hair, "The most important of them all…"

My eyes trailed to the table standing in the middle of the room where I could see several items. My phone, my earbuds, some bubblegum, and a bunch of shadows that I couldn't discern.

"That's all there was left after the incident," Elibeth smiled, "I got rid of all the nasty stuff but I thought this was something you consider important. Will you tell me what those are later?"

"I-incident?" What was she talking about? My phone was in the storage runes with the… with the…

"There-there, cry it all out," I was given a glass of water that I hastily downed, "Demonic energy tends to unleash some of your inner thoughts and feelings upon the first contact, and, with the amulet further preventing you from being… well, you, I can't imagine how new everything must be to you. You poor thing."

A pair of massive leathery wings enveloped me like a blanket, leaving only two bright blue eyes and faintly seen pink hair in my vision. My deeper feelings? I carefully touched my chest, trying to find what those feelings were. For some reason, I felt happiness.

Exhilaration.

"Oh?" The Succubus giggled in a playful voice, "Back so soon?"

I gave her a look of confusion and then angled my head to see one of my hands playing with her wings. My fingers were brushing against the membrane, squeezing it, and feeling its texture.

It was warm. Soft. Strange leather.

"You must be quite the… curious man deep inside," The humanoid mamono winked, "Demonic energy removes your inhibitions only for a few hours at most, so I hope you don't mind if I'm not going to say 'No.'"

Was it a polymer? Dumbass, of course, it was some kind of polymer, it was an organic compound visible on a eukaryote with naked eyes! My second hand joined to examine the biological material.

"Oof, quite rough…"

What was this thing made of? Didn't feel like bat wings or cow hides. Some sort of magical thingy imbued with demonic energy? I knew it was capable of making drastic alterations to both biological and inanimate structures but seeing it in the first person exceeded my expectations.

I poked the membrane to test its elasticity, ignoring a moan coming from somewhere close by. It was not important at the moment. But the wing…

I could already imagine its uses. Maybe I could attach them to armor and allow soldiers to fly? Or build underwater suits to withstand high pressure? The exact traits of this fascinating new material were still unknown to me but I wanted them. I wanted those wings.

Maybe I'd even get that sweet Ph.D.! Oh, wait, I wasn't on Earth anymore, they didn't have Ph.D.'s here…

Holy shit, I'm not on Earth anymore! I'm in the Monster Girl Encyclopedia!...

Encyclopedia…

I licked my suddenly dry lips and looked closer at the Succubus' faces. It was all red for some reason but I could see its inherent perfection. No wrinkles or folds of any kind, perfect smoothness. No flaws whatsoever.

Since I sincerely doubted that their kind evolved to become the perfect lifeform, it meant that their demonic energy was capable of making even minor decorative changes to their bodies. Interesting.

Elibeth appeared before my mind's eye, a motionless model revealed in all her glory. Prehensile tail, maybe wires to strengthen textiles? A pair of wings capable of flight, numerous application that I've already thought about. A pair of horns… maybe some new durable material?

I reached out and rubbed one of the horns with my fingers, triggering that distracting noise again. Hmmm, maybe sometime later.

But. Monster Girl Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia. Countless species spread around the globe, each with their own unique characteristics. So much… potential.

Slimes, for example, how did they work? They had no organs, no nervous system, and yet were capable of thought no matter how primitive. Was their whole body a giant nervous system? Would learning their secrets bestow upon me the knowledge to preserve bodily functions even after one's brain was destroyed?

Ehehe, so many beautiful specimens so eager to hand themselves over… I couldn't just leave the fair maidens all alone, now could I?

I tried to stand up but was impeded by weight pressed against my body. I attempted to push it off only to bring about the opposite, its mass grinding even further into me.

"Wha-what are you waiting for, sweetie?" A hoarse voice whispered into my ear, "I'm ready when you are."

"Get off me, woman, I have things to do." My diplomacy skills failed to convince Elibeth to move the hell out of way, sadly.

"You- What? B-but!" My face was suddenly restricted by a pair of hands and a face hovered above me, "You should've… Is there something else shackling your mind?"

Oh, right. Super speed and strength. I wonder if it's a natural phenomenon or a result of demonic energy. Probably the later, she doesn't look capable of doing what she does.

Unless, of course, Succubi could increase muscle density instead of volume. A note to self: dissect a Succubus sometime later.

…

Okay, this was getting boring. I was getting annoyed. Very annoyed. Angry even.

"What could it be-"

"Hey!" My cry visibly startled the mamono, causing her to move her face away from me, those she was still sitting on my legs, "Cut it out. You're really pretty and all but I need to go. There is a whole wide world of fascinating creatures just waiting to provide humanity with their services."

"Something must've gone wrong," Elibeth muttered, "The more demonic energy is used, the deeper it digs, and the drive to reproduce covers a massive layer of human sub-consciousness. So why?"

"Maybe you dug too shallow?" I decided to offer my insight on the matter. I suppose a couple seconds wasted were no skin off my back, "Or maybe too deep."

"There was no way for so much energy to unearth only the 'shallow' part," The Succubus furrowed her eyebrows, "And the result would've been different. But if your deep thoughts are… this, then… What does it even mean?"

"Honestly? No idea," I shrugged, "I must admit though, I've always been curious about biology. And seeing, well, this…" I vaguely gestured at her body, "It's weird. I know shouldn't want to but… I'm really curious as to how you function."

"Maybe… Maybe you do need some time to relax," Elibeth bit her lip and got off of me with a depressed sigh, "And we were so close, too…"

"Relax? No, I don't need to relax, I need to explore! Come on, I heard there are Slimes nearby, can you bring me a Slime? And some scalpels. Knives? Knives. What else, what else, what else… Several flasks maybe, to collect the samples-"

"I'll come for you in the morning!" I turned to see the door closing shut.

…

I want to sleep. I want to eat. I also want to hit that chair.

I did, and it hurt a bit. More than it should've.

"Oh yeah, the amulet dampened the pain," I scratched my chin, "Man, that thing was useful."

I scratched the circle of black crust on my chest, getting rid of that particular itch for now. Then, my head, too.

...

Without a second thought, I dropped onto one of the beds and closed my eyes.

…

I woke up to the sound of screams.

 

[amimai]

Ok this guy is a man after my own heart! Igor go get specimen jar 2b-h, I think I'm in love!

It's so rare when we can root for the evil empire, please write more!

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 13.


My head hurt. Like someone wrapped barbed wires coated in poison was around the folds of my brain while I was asleep. My limbs trembled as I tried to get off the bed, giving out at the last possible moment and causing me to fall on the wooden floor.

My body felt hot. As if I was sitting in one of those vibrating armchairs, pulse after pulse of comfort spread through my flesh, sharply contrasting with the nigh-blinding pain of the headache.

The loud distracting noises coming from the outside didn't help at all.

Using one of the three standing chairs for support, I managed to stand upright and breathe a sigh of relief. My shoulder twitched. I scratched it.

My thigh spasmed.

A weird itch began to surface over my entire body, making me stretch to a near impossible degree to scratch the less accessible areas. Fortunately, I've always been rather flexible, so it wasn't a big problem.

I felt like I needed something. There some desire, an urge I had to satisfy or else I exploded.

"The hell is happening to me?" My train of thought was interrupted by an especially loud scream.

I was torn between my mind telling me to check the windows to see what was happening and my body urging me to seek out Elibeth and inquire about my current condition.

Mind over matter, Damien.

Clenching my teeth, I ran up to the window and brushed the curtains aside.

It was somewhere between morning and day, the sun already peeking from beyond the trees but nowhere near high enough to indicate high noon. And down in the streets…

A door from one of the houses below me went flying across the street and smashed into the house across. The improved projectile shattered upon impact but not before caving in the walls and bringing the small wooden house down.

Out of the doorway, a tall figure clad in black calmly walked out and looked around. Almost immediately, I saw the blur that was its head turn directly in my direction.

Was that…?

"Father Klaus!" I yelled with a wide grin that threatened to split my face in half, "Entire village is corrupted, all Lesser Succubi with one full-blown Succubus!"

There was silence hanging in the air before the head bobbed up and down. Turning back to the room, I quickly picked up my stuff from the table and tried to open the door.

Locked.

"Shit," I cursed, "Uhm, maybe the window?"

I walked back to the window poked my head out in search of any ledges. There was some kind of a windowsill on the outside which I could use as a step but there was nowhere to go from that point.

"I guess I have to wait here," I propped my chin with a fist and found Klaus' location again, "At the very least I can enjoy the show."

Even though the most I could see was a lazily moving blob of black, something inside was dying from anticipation. I've never seen Father Klaus actually fight, it has always been one 'tamed' monster or other.

Roused by the screams, Lessers and their husbands opened the doors and went into the streets to see what was happening.

Big mistake.

I gripped the windowsill, leaning forward, but something grabbed me by the collar of the robe and pulled back into the room.

"Careful!" Elibeth's quivering voice whispered into my ear, "I don't know who that is but he's bad news! So much energy…"

I didn't find the strength in myself to respond because I just realized that there was a very important fact that I happened to miss before.

Damn, she was pretty.

The weak aroma that emanated from her body intensified the itching by what felt like a factor of ten and making me gulp.

Cautiously, like approaching a wild animal, I leaned back into her embrace, shifting my head slightly so my cheek would brush against her hair.

"So soft…"

"Huh? What are you- Oh," The Succubus blushed and averted her eyes, biting her lip, "Aw, what terrible timing… But…"

She looked back at me and I gave her the most reassuring smile I could muster.

"This, uh, this is all rather new for me but-"

There was a piercing screech followed by complete silence. Both Elibeth and I froze where we stood, then the mamono, probably coming to some conclusion, picked me up and flew out of the room through the door. We quickly descended to the first floor, then she carried me over to a barely noticeable trapdoor and put me on the ground.

"Hide," She spoke with determination ringing in her voice, "Judging by the clothes, whoever came here is also a Witch Hunter. You need to hide, he'll kill you as you are now."

"But-"

"No buts," She pressed a finger against my lips, then gave me a little sad smile, "It's just one human, I'll be back soon. However… If you don't hear from me, I'm friends with the Red Slime Queen that lives nearby. I'll contact her so she would pick you up if… If something happens. I won't allow them to take you back, not after you've been freed."

The Succubus gently pushed me to the trapdoor and waited until I got it. I found myself in a small basement room stuffed with old wooden boxes. The air stale and, frankly, pretty much unbreathable. I poked my head back out and watched her go. Halfway to the exit from the tavern, she turned around and gave me a thumbs up before leaving for good.

As soon as she left my sight, I felt like a hammer was smashed into my head. What the hell was I even doing?

I focused on my spirit energy to try to find out what's been happening to me but I couldn't quite reach for some reason. It was there, I could feel it clearly but something was blocking my access to it.

Or, rather, every scrap of energy disappeared the second it was produced.

"No spirit energy, then," I grumbled and eyed the closed tavern entrance, "On one hand, seeing Elibeth messes with my brain for some reason. On the other, I need to meet up with Father Klaus. Hopefully, he'll know how to get me out of this predicament."

If he doesn't kill for being tainted first, that is.

I paused mid-way out of the basement as I was overcome with doubt. Whether intentionally or not, I had given in to demonic energy. Yes, it was forced unto me, and, yes, I would still side with my own species, but the result was the same. My body was pumped with demonic energy and I was kinda sorta becoming an incubus. Not now and not for quite some time but still…

No, I've already thought about this. I run and I'm either dead or worthless. I stay and I'm either dead or legendary.

Obvious choice.

Exiting the tavern proved to have a single obstacle, one I swiftly dodged when it flew straight at me the moment I opened the door. The panicking blonde Lesser was clearly planning to include the act of opening the door into her movement and was thus thoroughly surprised when I opened it for her. So surprised, in fact, that she stumbled and was recovering long enough for a severed limb to fly through the air like a javelin and bust straight through her chest.

I watched with wide eyes as the body with a fist-sized hole in its chest dropped to the ground without making a sound. There was a faint tearing sound and several more screams, then silence.

Soon after, I heard someone walking towards the door, their shoes splashing against the mud. I froze near the doorway, trying to make myself as invisible as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow framed by the rays of sunlight make a step into the tavern.

A second later, I was looking at an open palm shining with golden light that was millimeters away from my face.

"Ah, Damien," Father Klaus' unmistakable voice rang throughout the room, "I have finally found you. You are quite unlucky, I must say."

"Father Klaus," I gave him a crooked smile, "You're one night too late but I'll take what I can get. Did you eliminate the Succubus?"

"Not yet," He shook his head, his eyes never leaving me, "Was she the one to take off the amulet?"

"Yeah," I couldn't help but cringe at the accusation faintly heard in his words, "It took a couple hours, I think, but she managed to gather enough demonic energy from all her friends to pull it off. Not the best moment of my life."

"I see," The priest fell silent for a few seconds, "I shall give you one chance to explain yourself after we're done. If I don't find your reasons sufficient, I will treat you just like any other heretic. Is that alright with you?"

"That's more than I could ask for," I grinned happily and accepted his hand to stand up. After brushing off the dirt I picked up while sitting, I snapped my fingers when I remembered something important, "Oh, by the way, Elibeth, that's the Succubus, mentioned that there was a Red Slime Queen nearby. We might need to watch out for that."

"Elibeth, huh?" Klaus raised an immaculate eyebrow then sighed, "A story for later, I guess. Don't stray too far away from me."

I nodded and followed the Evervigil as he went back outside. Immediately, we had to stop because there was a sizable crowd of people, consisting of both humans and Lessers, with the Succubus at the head.

The monsters were visibly unsettled by the lone priest but refused to run. It seemed like they believed in the strength of a mob more than in common sense. After all, a warrior of the Order wouldn't come alone on purpose unless they were prepared to face the opposition.

"Why are you here, Witch Hunter?" Elibeth's eyes widened when she saw me, then grew hard as she looked at the priest, "We've been living a life of peace and never left the borders of this village. And yet, you come here and kill innocent people!"

Father Klaus opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and stared at the Succubus.

"Answer me!" The mamono hissed, "And leave Damien alone, he has nothing to do with it!"

I don't have anything to do with it?! Even if I wasn't with the Order, even if I wasn't with the Evervigil, it was you who injected me with demonic energy you crazy, twisted, hedonistic, admittedly attractive, and even a bit gorgeous-

A hiss burst forth from my throat as something poked my temple and my veins filled up with fire. It churned beneath my skin, a heat so intense that my instinctual response was to drop into the dirt and try to put out the fire with the mud.

"That should do, for now. Wouldn't want the demonic energy inside you to force you to help your current 'master,'" Klaus spoke coolly, "Well, back to clean up."

I barely gathered enough strength to power through the pain and lift up my head. Before my eyes, the Evervigil crouched down slightly and then blurred.

It wasn't the kind of speed one had to push their vision to its limits to see, like the one Elibeth possessed. Nor was it teleportation for I could easily witness the evidence of movement. It's just, one second Father Klaus was standing right beside me and the other he was replaced by a small crater in the ground while the priest himself had one of his arms running through an unlucky Lesser.

And only after that, I heard a clap of thunder as I was hurled back and into the tavern's wall.

When I opened my eyes for the next time, he was standing on the same spot, his arm free of any burden, while the monsters and humans were sprawled on the ground.

"Did you just…" I croaked in disbelief, "Break the sound barrier?!"

"Only for a short time," Was the answer I received, "A simple dash, nothing more. If I could really move at such speeds at will, things would've been much easier."

With that, he walked up to the nearest groaning man and stepped on his chest. There was a burst of light, a puff of purple smoke, and then Klaus' leg smoothly touched the ground, a cloud of ash floating around it.

"This is how a properly measured attack with holy energy looks like," He spoke, his voice calm as usual, "By expelling as much holy energy as demonic energy that the target possesses, it is possible to completely rid them of life force. Spend too little, and they're badly damaged but not dead. Spend too much, and you're wasting power. Know what you're doing, and you have a perfect kill."

He lightly kicked a Lesser before it could stand up, repeating the process. More ash began to drift around.

By the time the monsters recovered, they have lost almost half of their initial number. Elibeth was still alive as Father Klaus was ignoring her for some reason. Planning to get some information out of her later, probably.

The second they regained balance, the monsters scattered. Lessers picked up their husbands and took to the skies while Elibeth clenched her fists and I saw her mutter something.

Just like the last time, the priest ignored the Succubus, instead choosing to lash out and grab one of the Lessers by the ankle. Before it could so much as cry out in surprise, it was roughly dragged back to the ground.

Then he tore her arm off.

My eyes widening from realization, I saw Klaus take aim and throw the limb at one of the Lessers, violently bringing down both her and her partner.

In another display of gore, the second arm was severed and used as a projectile.

"Get some emitter-runes, they said," A rumbling chuckle echoed, "Fools. I always have a ranged option."

I continued to watch in an equal mix of horror and amazement as a single human absolutely decimated a small army of mamono. That was, however, when things slightly changed.

Elibeth suddenly took off towards me, and, before I could call for Klaus, I was already in the air.

"He shouldn't be able to notice us," She whispered into my ear. Her arms held me tightly, preventing any attempt to break free, "What a monster, I've never thought that humans like that existed. Even if I were someone who specialized in brute strength, I doubt that I would've survived. But that doesn't matter right now, does it, sweetie? I can get you to safety now, there is a nice mansion in Polove that I own, I'm sure you'll love it."

Wait, Polove? No-no-no, I couldn't go to Polove! It was a Demon Realm which meant I'd be effectively trapped there! I needed to get Father Klaus' attention or else I'd never get to return to Lescatie!

The houses were getting further and further now but I could still see the priest making fleeing Lessers drop like flies. I opened my mouth to scream, and yet nothing came out. Not even a whisper.

My muscles tightened but refused to budge. My body was rebelling against me. The demonic energy infused into my tissues prevented me from harming Elibeth by calling for help. It wasn't I couldn't do it, my body just didn't want to.

Panicking, I turned my senses inward to find anything that could help. With growing unease, I felt that Elibeth was pumping me with more demonic energy even now, probably in hopes to get rid of whatever Klaus did to me. Fortunately, that gave me a way out of this.

I frantically searched through my body, collecting and guiding the leftover holy energy to my mouth. It was hard and I was rapidly losing most of what I managed to gather but, eventually, I felt the hold on my throat slacken.

"FATHER KLAUS!"

The change was immediate. Elibeth flinched at the sudden scream, veering slightly off course. The black dot on the ground froze before twisting around.

"What are you-" The Succubus managed to cry out before she was silenced by a boom of thunder.

The priest was up in the air, one-third of the way towards us.

"Damien!" Blue eyes with a hint of fear in them looked into mine, "Why did you-"

Another boom.

In a desperate attempt to evade the inevitable clash, Elibeth dashed to the right in a swing of her massive wings. I winced at the sudden motion, headache resurfacing, but firmly held on to the mamono, thus keeping myself from falling.

Father Klaus angled his body, a visible platform of condensed air appearing beneath his feet, then kicked off into another supersonic dash.

For a second, it seemed like he was about to grab my leg. Then, between one blink and the next, the clouds changed their position.

The priest was in free fall, his hand stretched out as if reaching for something unseen to my eyes. Slowly, his head turned in our direction and he quirked an eyebrow.

"Strong." He landed unto another air platform and crouched. This time, I could clearly see an array of runes light up on the visible parts of his body before he dashed.

The chase continued in a similar manner for several minutes, Elibeth performing mind-blowing aerial maneuvers and the occasional teleportation to lose the priest and Father Klaus inevitably catching up in one or two kicks. Eventually, someone was bound to make a mistake.

Then, the Succubus' wing twitched. It was probably something minor, like a slight magical exhaustion or even general fatigue, but it was enough to mess up her technique.

Followed by another boom of the sound barrier shattering, Father Klaus' hand took hold of my leg.

"Got you," Was all he said.

With the simplest of motions, he propelled himself up and took hold of Elibeth's tail.

There was a flash of gold, and then a piercing scream. Purple clouded my vision.

I barely started to scream after I felt that nothing was securing me in the air when a hand grabbed me by the collar of the robe. I looked up to see Father Klaus, a small frown on his face, staring into the improvised smokescreen.

"Stronger than I thought," he muttered, "Until next time, then."

Still holding me like a lioness would a cub, except with his hand, obviously, the priest steadily hopped down from platform to platform until we safely reached the ground.

I collapsed into one big pile of stress and labored breathing.

"Je-Jesus Christ," I retched, "That was intense. Way too intense for my liking."

"It was rather… unique, I admit," Father Klaus shrugged, "I've seen worse, however. Participated in worse, too."

"No doubt about that," I whispered under my breath.

After bringing down my heartbeat to manageable levels, I took a look around. We were in a… forest? No, wait, a jungle? That didn't make any sense, Little Hills was definitely located in a temperate forest without a single hint that there were tropics nearby.

I sniffed the air and choked on the sheer sweetness of it. It was dense but light. A gale yet a breeze. If one compared the air in Lescatie to water, then this was starch syrup.

"Father Klaus?" I hid my face in the crook of my elbow, breathing through the thick fabric of my robe. It didn't help, "What the hell is with the air?"

When he didn't answer, I grew worried. I looked at him and saw- Is it just me or was he paler than usual?

"Demon Realm, we're in a Demon Realm, a Green one," He muttered. Okay, that explained things but what was going on? "Little Hills is close to the border with Polove, a massive Demon Realm, a massive Green Demon Realm… Which means we're in Polove right now…"

The weirdly acting priest gulped and sharply turned to me.

"We need to run."

"Huh?"

I was roughly picked up again and the world around us blurred. Even without his supersonic dash, Father Klaus was fast. Trees and vines, and other tropical plants became a single long wall of brown and green. I had to force down the bile rising up my throat several times in order to avoid disrupting Klaus' concentration. I had no idea what exactly he was running from but it had to be something dangerous to provoke that reaction in the first place.

Then, suddenly, we were back in a temperate forest.

I looked behind us and saw a clear line in the ground, neatly diving the two biomes. I had to admit, it was rather fascinating. The way they could coexist in such a way, the ecosystem had to be something else, I just knew it.

He allowed to stand on my two legs, and we moved deeper into the forest. The demonic energy in the air was in much lesser concentration which meant we were on the right track. Eventually, we reached a clearing and Father Klaus called a break.

"What was that about?" I asked after we've set up camp. The priest produced some meat from his own storage runes which I was currently enjoying.

"You first," He shook his in the negative, "I have yet to clear you as trustworthy."

I grinned sheepishly and nodded. Over the next half an hour I told him of what happened since I've arrived at Little Hills. He gave a small smile when I mentioned how quickly the Elder gave up information and muttered something about 'talking to Ferdinand' after I said that it took only a couple hours for the Succubus to take off the amulet.

"Alright, you speak the truth," He slowly sipped some brew from his mug. I would've used my own too, if my robes survived this little adventure, "I suppose it is only natural for me to help my fellow human then."

"Wait, you believe me?" Just like that?

"Of course," He answered, "Back in the day, I was a quite successful Witch Hunter. Knowing when someone lies is essential for the job."

"Oh, yeah," I averted my eyes in embarrassment, then looked back at him, "So… What now?"

"Now?" He echoed my question, "Now, I take you back to Lescatie where we perform a lengthy procedure to purge the filth from your soul. If you were an incubus and thus produced demonic energy by default, I would've had to mercy kill you. However, since you are still human where it matters, evidenced by how your body creates spirit energy, we simply need to extinguish the demonic energies and allow you to recover."

"It's possible to make monsters human again?!" I shouted. What it actually a thing? Then why were we killing them instead of turning back?

"Not exactly, and I can guess what you're thinking," He looked downcast for a second, "The operation requires some highly advanced runes and tools. At this point, it is impossible to mass produce. Besides, it works only on humans, full incubi and monsters of any kind will die within the first few minutes. Painfully."

"Oh," That was unfortunate. I snapped my fingers as I remembered something I wanted t ask the unexpectedly outspoken priest, "Ehm, Father Klaus?"

"Yes?"

"There was also this one… weird moment after Elibeth took off the amulet. At first, it was all just pain and confusion but then something happened," I stared at the campfire in thought, "I don't remember much, terrible headache, but I do recall wanting to do something. Badly. As if someone installed a generator or something, I wanted to just get up and do things. Poke that, probe this take apart a chair…"

"Interesting," Was all he said at first, "I am familiar with the phenomenon, yes."

"You are?"

"Indeed. You'll have to ask Ferdinand for more information but, in short, you have experienced something we call The Hook. Tell me, why do you think the newly turned, both men and women, eagerly do whatever the monster that tainted them tells them to do? Including assaulting their own families?"

"I… think you mentioned something about demonic energy making the one who turns a 'master' to the turned?" I guessed.

"That particular effect simply ensures that the 'newborns' don't go off their hinges, allowing the 'master' to make sure they won't sabotage anything. Just some minor charm effects. What I'm talking about goes much deeper than that. The Hook is what prevents them from questioning their actions. For the first hour or so since one is infused with demonic energy, that voice in the back of their head telling them not to do something disappears. Years upon years of social schooling vanish within a second. In other words, should you want to do something, you won't be able to stop yourself."

"Oh," I droned, "But why would it-"

"Not be about copulation?" The priest clicked his tongue, "I was getting there. The Hook doesn't just remove inhibitions. Demonic energy digs deep into your very being and finds something about you, something that you treasure. Something that you feel passionate about. However, to my great sadness, the majority of humanity lacks something that they consider defining about themselves. A fisherman doesn't necessarily love fishing, for example. In those cases, demonic energy drags out the one things all humans have ingrained deeply into their souls. An instinct."

"To live and reproduce…" I whispered, my eyes widening.

"Yes. So, now you how someone who doesn't know whether something is right or wrong, and driven by a burning desire to find a mate. The Hook, as the name suggests, hooks you to being a monster. They assault whoever is the closest feeling no remorse, having no second thoughts, and are then drowned in pleasure. And when this effect wears off…"

"Then it's like a drug addict having a withdrawal!" I exclaimed.

"Precisely," Father Klaus gave me an approving nod, "And that is how entire families lose their minds to a single monster who wormed its way into a human settlement."

"But what about me then?"

"Simple. You said you were curious about things, yes? Please, describe how exactly did you feel."

"Well," I slowly began, "I wanted to… know things. Something about monsters, I think. How they do what they can do, maybe? I remember being curious about Slimes, definitely. The way they function without organs."

"Hmmm," He hummed, "Whatever it may be, the explanation is rather simple: You care more about knowing than about having offspring. Demonic energy took the one thing you felt was the most integral to you being you, and removed the inhibitions preventing you from acting on it."

"Will it happen again?" I asked cautiously.

"No," He gave me a curt reply, "The Hook only happens once. Those who drown in pleasure require an immense force of will to break free from their newfound addiction and, therefore, no repetition is necessary."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Good to know, I had no desire to lose my mind like that ever again. Seriously, I knew science was great but to think it would save my life one day?

"It is somewhat funny, to be honest," Father Klaus suddenly said, "There are not many people like you but they are not exactly rare. And yet, each time a monster hears of such an event, they look like the Demon Lord just ordered them to kill their husbands. Did that Succubus look anything like that?"

"She was looking at me weirdly, yeah," I tried my best to recall that night then chuckled, "Guess underestimating humanity is in their blood."

"Indeed, Witch Hunter," Klaus laughed softly, "Indeed…"

We fell quiet and simply enjoyed the cheerful crackling of the bonfire when the atmosphere changed.

Father Klaus tensed and was on his feet no more than a second later, his eyes scanning the perimeter. I carefully stood up too, though I couldn't really see anything without the holy energy powering up my vision runes.

The nearby bushes shook and then were blown apart as the pebble Klaus threw hit the ground. He was holding another one before the floating leaves touched the ground.

"Klausey, it's Klausey!" A chirpy voice suddenly sang Klaus' mangled name, sounding extremely happy, "You've come back, come back to us! Stay, stay, stay!"

I looked at him in confusion and saw the priest grow pale once more. Was this what he was running from in that Demon Realm?

"Chief God damn you, this is why I never leave the headquarters," He hissed, then yelled, "Go away!"

"But Klausey!" the voice giggled, "Why would I go away if I just found you?"

Out of the crone of one of the trees, a tiny green creature appeared. It looked a fairy made up of several shades of green, with darker hair and lighter skin. It stared at Klaus without blinking, a huge smile on its face.

"After all these years…" The tiny monster, and it couldn't be anything else, twirled on the spot, "I've already told the others, soon we can all be together again!"

"You-" He took a deep breath then turned to me, "If we get back, you will officially be the luckiest unlucky man in history."

"What do you mean?" I implored, warily watching the still dancing creature.

"Because that," he pointed at the monster, "Is one of my former… acquaintance's elementals. And if we don't get back to Lescatie before the rest arrive, it's over."

"Mou…" The elemental, likely a sylph now that I thought about it, pouted, "Don't go, Klausey. Play with me! It's been so long we've almost lost hope. But we would never! Forever and ever and ever will we remember our bond!"

"Father Klaus," I gulped, "Should we run?"

In a blink of an eye, I was held in a fireman's carry and blitzing through the forest. I heard a faint "Yes" somewhere down the line.

"Klausey? Klausey!"

Something cracked, then snapped, then howled, and-

"HOLY SHIT!"

There was a tornado. There was a fucking tornado out of nowhere in the middle of the goddamn woods! How?!

And then, the hurricane thundered.

"Come back!"

 

[Wishful Thinking]

You know what? I don't even care anymore. Not one bit. Running into a Succubus on the first mission? Just another Tuesday. Having to weather several hours in the middle of an orgy without receiving visual output? Puh-lease, I'll take two and some extra cheese sauce! Get my face caved in by every passing tree branch while fleeing from a sapient tornado?

Sure, why the heckfire not?!

I shut my eyes and hissed in pain as yet another overly friendly plant decided to say 'Hi' personally. Frankly speaking, closing my eyes was the only thing I could do at this speed. Father Klaus was running like Sonic on steroids, making a straight beeline to some location only he knew about. Sometimes, the forest tried to slow him down. I hated those moments especially because it meant that I had to endure a storm of wooden shrapnel flying in every direction.

Needless to say, whenever an obstacle got in the priest's way, he didn't deem it important to dodge.

"Klausey!"The winds howled the name of my companion, a mighty roar that sent trees flying with every word, "Wait for us!"

"This is bad," Father Klaus' distorted voice reached my ears. He was speaking too fast for it to be normal, "It's catching up to us."

"What should we-" I choked on a leaf, then spat it out, "What should we do? Can you run even faster?"

"Not run, no," His hand lashed out and wiped some more flora from existence, "But I can use the Charge runes in rapid succession. However, you lack the protections necessary to survive such speeds."

"Oh," I bit my lip. This was bad. If he dropped, he would be able to get away safely. Granted, I might not be able to survive a fall even at our current speeds, "Maybe… if there is no other way… the Sylph would ignore me?"

For the next few seconds, the only sounds were those of the cracking bark and wailing winds. A particularly ancient oak had the misfortune to find itself in our way and swiftly acquired a man-sized hole in its trunk.

There was a piercing whistle coming from behind us and I felt several chips of wood dig into my skin through the robe. That bloody grinder…

"That will likely be the case, yes," Father Klaus spoke again, "However, I doubt you are capable of surviving the fall, or what comes after, in your current state. The truth is obvious: I am a much more valuable asset to humanity and, therefore, should prioritize my escape but…"

I held my breath. Was he actually going to hold on to me? After all that talk about Maximum Efficiency, after all I've seen… he would still try to save a tainted acolyte?

"I wouldn't be much of a senior if I abandoned a human who could still do some good, now would I?" There was a chuckle. Then another one but slightly more malicious, "I highly advise you to black out. If you do not, don't scream under any circumstances. Or better yet, close your mouth, close your eyes, and plug your ears. Ready?"

I did as instructed and bumped his back with my elbow to express confirmation.

"Fun, fun! I'm going to catch you, and then we'll have lots and lots of-"

My head exploded.

Pain.

Pain was a peculiar feeling. On one hand, it was nothing more than neurons triggering and sending some information to the brain. It was even a bad thing, at the most basic level. Just a simple indication of damage, a short status update that something in the body went awry.

I floated calmly in the black void, swimming in the sea of pain. There was biting pain, cutting pain, burning pain, sharp pain and dull pain, throbbing pain, and that one special kind of pain you felt after stabbing a toe.

There was simply so much of that it became white noise. After all, what was pain if it was the only thing you felt? Nothing but your normal state of being, that's what.

I poked at the bypassing ball of electrifying pain and let the feeling wash over me. Yes, definitely different from the burning pain. That one lacked the… Well, the best way to put it was that it lacked the zap of vigor that the electrifying pain possessed.

Pain came with the memories. I saw, and felt, that one time I almost cracked my skull by falling off a chair, or the moment when I flayed a part of my knee with a razor on accident. I would've smiled nostalgically if I could.

Then the more recent recollections of pain sped before my eyes. The awakening of my spirit energy. Those several classes when Father Klaus was increasing mine and George's pain tolerance. That one time I tripped in the shower and had to stumble my way to the work desk with a smashed-in face in order to call the automaton. I've lost count to how many times her medical capabilities helped me out.

And this one was- Hm? Oh, this is a new one. I examined a newly born sphere of agony and accepted the memory contained within. Okay, so here my eyes implode and my eardrums rupture, nasty. I clicked my imaginary tongue at the influx of pain. Good thing I wasn't awake for that, would've been one of the worst in my life.

Alright, what do we have next? A feeling like my entire body was submerged in acid was probably holy energy expunging the demonic one. I don't think I'm dead so, hopefully, they've succeeded in keeping me alive and kicking through the operation.

Then we have… cutting pain? Something was cutting my body? Like white-hot needles were used to carve trenches in my flesh only to fill them up with salt a second later. Even so, however, it felt very faint, like I didn't experience it in full. Anesthetics, probably. But the thing is, why would anyone use them on an unconscious patient?

Oh well. The memory abruptly ended there, indicating that no more pain was present after that last one. Maybe they finally patched me up?

The absolute pitch black of abyss became the muted black of closed eyelids. At first, I couldn't sense the rest of my body whatsoever but, as seconds ticked on, feeling slowly came back to me. I concentrated on the tip of my finger and, with a push of will, made it twitch. Digit by digit, I worked my way across my motionless frame, soon switched to limbs and then torso muscles.

Eventually, I cracked my eyes open. The dimly lit dome of Father Ferdinand's Home-Lab greeted my weary self. The familiar combination of softness and firmness under my back informed me that I was currently resting on one of the operating table, a glowing lamp located on the small table nearby. I pressed my elbows into the white fabric and pushed myself upwards.

Something felt… different. My flesh was lighter, somehow, like a was a balloon full of helium instead of a one packed with rocks. I rotated my wrist, and it did so silently, without a single bubble of nitrogen popping. A quick wave of my hand turned out to be way faster than I expected, almost pulling me off balance.

Cautiously, I looked over my naked self but didn't see any evidence of outside interference. Which meant I wasn't digging deep enough. A brief pulse of spirit energy confirmed dozens upon dozens of small patterns and formations wrapped around my everything.

Bones, muscles, organs, everything that a surface was covered in runes. Curiously, they weren't extremely advanced and reacted to my mana, meaning that they were not running off of holy energy. After making sure I didn't actually feel any pain, I used the bedsheet as an improvised toga and stood up properly.

The very first step had me flying into the table, causing my hand to lash and grab it to retain my balance. Immediately, I went perfectly still. Blinking in surprise, I straightened out and let go of the table, noting its unusual textures. When I looked to where my hand took hold of the polished wood, I saw small indentations in the surface, perfectly molded to fit my finger.

"Holy shit," I muttered.

"Nothing holy about it, I'm afraid," An overjoyed laugh echoed across the cavern, "Since you still can't produce holy energy, I had to make do with runes that require exclusively pure life force. But! Where I had to give up on quality, quantity took the lead! Although, and this pains me to say it, I got so excited that I used up all of the available space. In other words, we'll only be able to replace those runes if we scrape off your flesh first. Like, all of it. You'd need a new body, basically. Sorry, not sorry."

I didn't even bother suppressing a grin as I turned to look at the ever-cheerful researcher. He hasn't changed one bit, still the same waterfall of crimson hair, and still the same gleeful smile on his bishounen face.

"Father Ferdinand!" I carefully watched my step as I walked up to the shut-in priest, wouldn't want to trip and fall at the worst possible moment, after all, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Did Father Klaus make it back safely too?"

"Of course he did, what's gonna happen to that ball of destruction anyway?" Ferdinand waved me off absentmindedly, then smirked and looked me over, "You, on the other hand… Well, let's just say that if not for all those runes I plugged into your body, you would've been dead."

Was it strange that I barely felt anything when being told I could've been dead by now? Maybe. Maybe not. Life was pretty hectic lately, just how much I cared exactly was hard to tell. I mean, being alive was great and all but if I were dead… If I were dead, I wouldn't care about it all that much, now would I?

"Can I have a rundown?" I cringed and pointed at the deformed table, "Also, that happened when I tried to lean on it. Sorry, not sorry."

Father Ferdinand laughed, "Of course! And don't worry about the furniture, I'll just get a replacement. It's the apparatus and research material you need to be careful around. Anyway, the short version is this: A bit stronger, a bit faster, a bit more durable, slightly better senses, and a bit more resistant to demonic energy. That's pretty much it. Oh, and I also modified your vision runes to work on spirit energy. Had to regrow a chunk of the skull to free up space but it all worked out in the end. Overall, don't expect anything on the level of that Succubus you've encountered, yes, Father Klaus told me your story, but a common human you'll outperform. Some of the weaker mamono, too. The weakest ones. Like fairies. Actually, what if fairies possessed human strength or above? Tiny flying murder machines, that's what. With the surface area of their puny little fists, and the force behind the blow akin to a human's…"

"They would have a fair chance of punching through armor," I finished for him, then smiled at his curious look, "I've always been interested in science. Biology, specifically. And, let's just say, something happened that opened my eyes to what I truly want. Not going to line, it's rather liberating to know what you consider your defining feature."

"Ah, one of those," Ferdinand grinned back, "Fascinating. I remember we had a former thug among our ranks a few years back. Good man, if a bit unruly. Ended up being captured by a Dragon who took a liking to his valor and martial prowess."

"And what happened then?"

"Flipped out and discovered that the thing he enjoyed the most was punching teeth in, figuratively speaking. Battled the Dragon for about an hour one on one. By the time our reinforcements arrived, the Dragon was lying in the pool of its own blood and Mego had already died standing," The priest wagged his finger at me before I could ask, "We have magic capable of replaying events from the recent past. Extremely complicated but he was one of our best, and we had to know the exact way he died."

"Wow," I was out of words. Dueled a Dragon for an hour? Damn. Just, damn.

"Yeah, the others looked the same when they got back," He chuckled, "Anyway, you said you were interested in my craft?"

Was he…?

"Of course I am!" I exclaimed with a hint of indignation, "I mean, I won't deny that some of the things you do seem a bit… too much for me but what after what happened earlier… Ah, screw it, what happens – happens. Yes, I am very much interested in your craft, Father Ferdinand. I remember Father Klaus mention something about private tutors a while back, and I hoped that you would accept me as your student. Sir. Also, could you tell me where Father Klaus is? I want to thank him for getting me out alive."

"No need to, I'm right here," 'Someone' huffed. I turned to the side, and saw the aforementioned priest exit one of the corridors, "And you're alive and well, I see. Good for you."

"Oh, I'm-"

"Don't bother, I can't possibly take you on as my apprentice anyway. Not with those enchantments," He shook his head, "If you wanted to adopt my style, you would've had to learn to use holy energy first. Mana-based ones provide too little enhancement."

"Then I hope you don't mind If I adopt our fledgling Witch Hunter," Father Ferdinand looked at me and gave a smile full of teeth, "I believe you said something about knowledge from your original world? We couldn't quite get our hands on those snagged by the mages, and the common folk turned out to know nothing of use. Like, why would I need to know how to properly sew butterflies onto dresses? Fashion designers, I swear…"

"You know what happened to the rest of those who were summoned with me?" I could feel my eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, "Wait, never mind that, 'adopt'?"

"'Yes' to both questions," Ferdinand smirked, "To answer the latter first, it's how we refer to the act of taking on a direct apprentice. As to your fellow otherworlders, those with average and below levels of spirit energy were either recruited by the Stalwart Shields or integrated into Lescatie as common citizens. Though, I think I heard that some of them show promise to becoming Heroes later on… Bah, it doesn't matter anyway. Klaus?"

"Yes-yes," The mentioned priest huffed, "I have important things to do. Make sure this one doesn't end up like the rest of your disciples, it took me quite some effort to reach the unofficial border with him on my shoulders."

With that, Father Klaus turned around and vanished into the darkness of one of the hallways, his rhythmic steps echoing for several seconds after he disappeared from sight.

"What was that about the unofficial border and the other disciples?" I asked with steadily rising concern.

"The unofficial border is what we call the line where the safe zone ends. Beyond it, Lescatie is still Lescatie but less managed. Within, however, we have proper control. And by we, I mean the Evervigil specifically. There is a reason monsters exist only between the official and unofficial borders of Lescatie," The priest shrugged, "And the previous apprentices… Well, let's just say they couldn't keep up. Too much information, too much stress, I'm not sure what exactly. But the fact is, all either died during an experiment gone wrong or committed suicide while no one was looking. Very sad. You still in?"

That was… alarming, to say the least. Dying to a misfired experiment was understand, I knew enough about chemistry to be aware of how many things could go wrong but suicides? Were they driven insane or something? Couldn't handle the pressure, I think he said. Scary but… I couldn't exactly achieve anything worthwhile without taking risks. And the first major one will be making this step.

"Yes," I inclined my head, "If you'll have me."

"Marvelous!" Father Ferdinand giggled excitedly and clapped his hands, "Then we start immediately. Say, do you remember that Doll I received before you left…?"

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 15.


"If you don't mind me asking," I began while watching Father Ferdinand passionately dig into what looked like a pile of scrap, "What exactly are you researching in here? I've seen you make artifacts, experienced you operating on people, and, overall, you seem to be the main R&D source in this whole facility. But what is it that you do?"

"Hm?" He paused his search to look back at me, "Whatever I want, mostly. The Evervigil have a very loose hierarchy with each member doing their own thing. I took it upon myself to come up with new fancy stuff and supply it to our field agents. Or store it in one of those crates over there," The priest waved his at the towering stack of wooden boxes hiding in one of the darker areas of the cavern, "We also have the Vaults but I'm not allowed there anymore. And, considering that I was the only one to create things worthy of going there, they've been out of use for a while."

"You mean you just," I made a vague gesture by twirling my hands, "Feel like doing something and then do it?"

"Basically, yes," He grinned with one of his friendlier smiles, "What you have to understand, Damien, is that true art comes from the heart. To achieve the best results, you have to love doing what you're doing. Love your job and you'll never have to work a day in your life, as they say. If I were to do something I didn't want to, it would be subpar at best. In the worst case scenario, I'd get so bored that I'd start implementing stuff that I want to into it and, well… Let's just say this room was smaller when I first moved in."

"But wouldn't it make more sense to suit the current needs?" It's not that I didn't like what he was saying, doing whatever I want is a dream job come true but it seemed so… surreal, "If a sword is required to slay a dragon then you wouldn't want to make a spear, yes?"

"True," Ferdinand readily agreed, "And so the trick lies in being able to enjoy multiple things. If I need to make a sword, I can choose whether I want it to shoot fire or ice. If it has to shoot fire, I can choose to make it more intense or even adhesive. To reach greatness, to grasp the stars and make them your own, you have to remember this one thing: There is always room for improvement. If you can, and want to do something – do it, for only by fulfilling our passions can we realize our potential."

"Wouldn't that mean that monster sympathizers should help monsters? If that's what they want to do."

"Sometimes people's interests clash," The red-head shrugged, "It's just how things work. Your job is to ensure that you're the last one standing. Besides, it makes heretics easier to identify."

"I see," I hummed. To follow one's desires? Yeah, I could get behind that, "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Just an exam of sorts," My heartbeat sped up at those words. I hated exams and especially hated the stress that accompanied them, "Father Klaus would've had you go into the city and root out a hiding monster but I do things differently. Say, what is the most important skill that a proper researcher should have?"

"Imagination?" I guessed, "Not quite a skill but still…"

"Exactly, not a skill," Ferdinand tsked, "The answer is self-sufficiency. Even if you're a talentless brick, with enough tries you're bound to learn at least something. That would be impossible, however, if you couldn't provide yourself with the materials necessary for those tries. Sponsors are hard to come by, I'll have you know. Or what if you're in the middle of the forest? No tools waiting for you there. As such, you are to go into the city…"

"Wait, what?"

"…And find some materials of your own choice. Then bring them back here and show me what interesting things you can do."

"You want me to go up and scavenge?" I was shocked. This was most definitely not what I was expecting from signing up to be Father Ferdinand's apprentice. Crazy experiments and lots of explosions, yes, but not… this.

"Essentially," He chuckled. Standing up, the priest pulled out of the scrap pile a small metal rectangle and gave it to me, "This is the Order's identification card. Carrying money is often a bother and slows you down when least expected, so just use this thingy right here. Show it whenever you need to pay for something, and the bill will be sent to the Order."

"You are giving me access to unlimited spending?" I stared at the featureless silver card. How were people even supposed to know it was legitimate?

"In a way. We trust you to be responsible. Besides, you'll have to personally answer for every coin you spend, so there's that. Now, give me your hand," I did as instructed and he put the plaque on my outstretched fingers, then curled them into a fist. Immediately, I felt a razor sharp edge slice through my skin. Red droplets began to trickle down onto the floor, "There, binding complete. This card is now yours."

I opened my fist to see the same plate only with my face on it. It was like looking into a monochrome mirror, the engravings copied my face down to the last fold. It was a bit unsettling, to be honest.

The trickling ceased.

"Do I just go now?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yup," Ferdinand smirked and waved for me to follow him. As we slowly walked towards one of the exits, he continued, "I'm giving you three days to collect everything you need to, please be back on time. Your new robes are already waiting in your room, storage runes included."

"Alright," I had no choice but to nod, "I'll see you in three days, then."

"I'll be waiting."

After saying goodbyes to the priest, I leisurely walked to my room. It's been about a week since Father Klaus brought me back, and boy was it hectic. There was no more training, no more arenas, nothing. Only Father Ferdinand, his lab, and me.

It was… educational.

Wood and metal, flesh and bone, rune and will. We went over the basics of everything, from creating nigh-useless trinkets like lamps to carefully examining the anatomy of the more common varieties of mamono.

"It leaves a sour taste in my mouth to say it but humans aren't exactly the most magically attuned species. The first runes were taught to humanity by dwarves, elemental magic is born from elementals, and whatever obscure form of arcane is hidden out there in the world, it is probably tied to one mamono or another somehow."

At first, I found it rather repulsive. I was fine with dissecting animals, similar to what we did back in high school or how I perceived harvesting wild monsters before meeting Elibeth. But other sapient beings?

I didn't like it. Whenever I saw one of the Zombies sprawled on the operating table, I imagined myself. It didn't make any sense but that's what kept happening. See those lungs? You, too, have them, a blood-soaked pair, just like these ones. Or what about this heart? It beats inside you right now. It has the same curves, same arteries connected to it, this is your heart. It just isn't beating. Like yours wouldn't if you were the one on the table.

There comes a time when one can no longer run away from their problems. Thing is, despite all I've ever said and done, I did not like seeing violence. Because I knew that deep down, behind all of that skin, we're the same. It could've been me getting hit. Being killed. Tortured.

I hated it.

And so, we came up with a solution. It wasn't perfect but it allowed me to work without cringing every few seconds. The trick was simple – to convince myself that corpses weren't actually corpses. That the carcass turned inside out wasn't, in fact, once alive. It wasn't someone's remains.

It was a toybox. A puzzle. A very complex puzzle made of many complex pieces. The heart wasn't my heart, it was a term for that organ that pumped blood. The brain wasn't something I was thinking with, it was a term for this lump of nerve cells that controlled the vast majority of an organism's functions.

I wasn't dissecting people. I was opening a box of Legos and seeing what was inside. And once I was given an instruction…

I began to build.

Smiling softly at that particular memory, I finally reached my room and walked in. Everything remained the same as before, except my work desk was way less empty. Glowing rocks and cracked scales, stacks of sketch paper filled with my chicken writing and wobbly drawings, and the general feeling of orderly chaos greeted me.

I took a deep breath and basked in that familiar atmosphere. This was how a room was supposed to be like. Personal. Unique. It looked like some dumped a bunch of random stuff in the middle, then threw in a grenade and locked the door. But I knew better. Every single item was in its intended place and only I was privy to where that was exactly.

My room.

Mine.

Walking up to the wardrobe, I revealed its insides and looked over the neatly packed clothes. Upon my return from the mission, my robes were switched back to gray as I wasn't part of the Evervigil quite yet. To the public, however, I was a Witch Hunter and, therefore, should wear black. Changing into the nostalgic garb, I made sure I had all the necessary stuff with me, primarily the phone set, and huffed in satisfaction.

Behind me, the door clicked open. Turning around, one hand already holding an improvised flashbang, I relaxed after seeing the still form clad in a maid uniform.

"Ah, it's you," I put the enchanted rock back into the robe and approached the Automaton, "Did you come to say farewell again? Actually, how do you even know when I'm leaving?"

The robotic maid was returned to me one day after my awakening, though I found out about it only when she entered my room with breakfast in hand like nothing happened. She was a bit more clingy than usual, however, in that she didn't leave the room until after I noticed her uninterrupted presence about an hour later.

It was an awkward moment but, in my defense, I was working on a personal project. Specifically, the relationship between holy and demonic energies. It became somewhat of an obsession of mine, to be honest. Why are they so similar and yet different? Are they really all that different? How does one apply emotion like Lust or Faith to spirit energy? the questions were plenty and the answers were almost nonexistent.

Father Ferdinand was exultant when I told him, supplying me with a small library's worth of books on the matter. Surprisingly, most of them were written by mamono.

It wasn't that I was against stealing research from monsters, serves them right, but the fact that they were freely given by someone from the Order… That priest was always a bit of an oddball.

Anyway, the Automaton was reactivated and everyone was happy. I because I had a maid now, the Evervigil because they didn't have to find a replacement for the said maid, and the Automaton was happy because she was still alive. The last one was just speculation, though, seeing how she didn't express much emotion. Or talk.

For the last few days of the week, everything returned back to normal. And now I was being sent on another mission. History really does like repeating itself, I guess.

"Nothing, eh?" I chuckled, "Same old, same old."

The next couple minutes flew by as we stared at each other in silence, me not knowing what to say and her seemingly fine with the lack of social interaction. Eventually, I sighed and carefully looked her over with a hand placed on my hip.

"You know, when I get better at this whole science thing, we should see about making some adjustments. Don't get me wrong, you're great, but I can't not try to make you better. It's like an itch that I desperately need to scratch. Blame Father Ferdinand," I got closer to her and began examining all the visible mechanism on her body. Of particular interest to me were the cogs and pistons on her arms, each completing a device capable of doing something. The only ability of hers I knew of was the healing spray but even then I didn't have the slightest clue as to how the miraculous solution was synthesized, "I'm not sure why, but I want to install some guns. I have no idea how, though. Guns were never really my thing. But. You already have those, don't you? Just non-lethal. That should make things easier. Hm. Maybe I can cook up something like a railgun. You never know when a battle maid may come in handy."

I looked up to see her staring down on me with those silver cog-shaped eyes of hers. Not the slightest trace of emotion could be detected behind the thin sheets of unknown material. Another mystery to uncover later.

I straightened up and rightened the parts of her uniform that I folded during the examination.

"There we go, sorry for the mess. As usual, please don't dislocate anything in this room… eh…"

I paused. Come to think of it, what was her name? Did she even have one?

"Hey, uh, do you have a name?" I repeated my thoughts out loud, "Sorry for not asking sooner, I've been preoccupied with things. Things. Yeah, very important things."

The Automaton cocked her head.

"I see… Would you like me to give you name?"

There an odd shuffling sound coming from below but, when I looked at the floor, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Shrugging, I looked back up.

"Hmmm, it has to be something meaningful," I began to rack my brain for ideas, "You're an Automaton so, like, a robot. A sapient, self-aware robot. Probably. Hmmm. HAL is male, so that's out. AM is too short. GLaDOS? Sounds fine but too cringey. Although… GLaDOS. Glados. Or maybe… Tay? Tay is a nice name. Fitting, too. Well, fitting if you spend any prolonged period of time in my vicinity. I'm really not good with people."

I scratched my head in irritation. This was getting nowhere, I couldn't make the choice!

"Alright, my options are Glados or Tay. You can either come up with something yourself or pick one of those. Okay?"

She continued to stare at me.

"…Well, think about it," I fake-coughed into my fist, "Anyway, I have to go now. See you in three days!"

I circled around her to get out of the room but noticed something midway. Her hands were tightly clenching the skirt, folding it several times over. The swishing sound I heard before was probably the skirt brushing against the floor then.

"Huh? You alright?"

At my question, she slowly turned to look at me, and then released her hold. There were holes in the fabric, torn by the pressure exerted by her fingers.

I blinked at the sight before sighing.

"You'll have to get that fixed. No proper maid walks around in ripped clothing."

With that, I finally left the room and headed towards the elevator cavern. Father Ferdinand finally taught me how to properly navigate the pathways of the underground compound so I could easily travel to his lab by myself. The man was truly determined to never leave his dwelling, it seemed.

Right outside of the entrance point to the Evervigil's base, I met George heading in the opposite direction. We've crossed paths several times in the hallways but never talked much. I was hurrying to get to the lab while he, as Ferdinand informed me, was busy training under Klaus.

I'm not sure whether he got apprenticed by Klaus or not, though.

I shared a nod with my fellow black-robed acolyte and activated the lift while watching him disappear into the darkness of the labyrinth.

After less than a minute of waiting, I was back on the surface with a faint click, two chairs standing by my side.

"Now then," I muttered, "Where the hell was the exit again?"

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 16.


I couldn't exactly ask someone to show me the exit, for fear of completely destroying the reputation Witch Hunters built up over the years, so I took my situation as an opportunity to explore the Cathedral. Despite looking like someone who knew exactly where he was going, I was randomly shambling around the place, looking out of the windows from time to time.

The building was monumental. There was just no other to put. A citadel on steroids, standing as tall, if not taller, than the Royal Castle that I could sometimes see in the distance. Long winding hallways of white marble connected myriads of rooms, from personal dwellings to smaller cathedrals. Yes, there were mini cathedrals inside of the Cathedral.

It was a city in and of itself. A small town exclusively for the members of the Order. I mostly met the Holy Heralds, though, as they were the ones to operate within human settlements regardless of their size. The Evervigil too, obviously, but our people were quite literally everywhere and without any defined modus operandi.

For all intents and purposes, the Order of the Word had only two divisions, the Witch Hunters being 'free agents.' So, whenever a citizen thought 'priest,' they thought about a Herald. When a front-line soldier did the same, the Purgatorio came to mind. I don't know how but the Evervigil managed to essentially erase their own existence from everyone's memory.

There were only Witch Hunters now.

Anyway, the place was very lively despite all of its scale. There was no point in time when I didn't see at least a small group of gray-robed acolytes running somewhere in a hurry. It was a bit unusual, after the practically empty expanse of the Evervigil's base, but it was a nice change. I didn't bother the people and they didn't bother me, so I could just enjoy observing the anthill that was the Cathedral in blissful silence.

Well, relatively speaking.

Spoiler: The Song

My boots hit the floor to the energetic rhythm, perfectly measured steps that were eerily similar to the way Father Klaus walked.

"Hey, Mr. Evil," I whistled under my nose, making extra sure that no one would hear my mutterings, "Woah. The lord of the night. Hey, Mr. Evil! Woah. A demon in white!"

Subtly dancing in the hallways, my legs fortunately concealed by the robe, I was having the time of my life. A stable job, friendly colleagues, good music, lots of freedom, and plenty of opportunities to vent out stress. What else does a man need?

A few people passing by shot confused looks at my earbuds but all of them inevitably shrugged it off and smiled at me. It felt good to be respected.


Hey, little dreamer.

Time to wake up.

This guy is not what he pretends to be.

He's the devil.


"Hey, Mr. Evil!" I sang to the tune when I finally found the main gates. It was quiet enough to not attract any attention, though my extremely pleased expression did start a few hushed conversations. Improved senses were awesome, and I'd fight anyone who said otherwise. Unless they could kill me on the spot, in which case I'd make a tactical retreat, but that was beside the point.

Briefly pausing to admire the carved angels decorating pretty much everything, I exited the Cathedral and stepped into Lescatie proper for the second time.

Smiling at the radiant sun, I took a moment to admire the blue unpolluted skies and fluffy clouds. Let it not be said that I was fine living in a dungeon for all my life. The majority of it, yes, but not every single minute.

Casually jogging down the long stairs that lead to the Cathedral, I ended up among the street crowd. This time, however, I didn't need to hurry and meet the squad for another mission so I could relax and simply observe the passersby. And that's when I realized that something was off.

It was the people. They were happy.

I stood and watched as a pair of kids, a boy and a girl, circled around their mother, laughing. I saw a flower shop owner check so that no one was looking at him before kneeling at to give an embarrassed teen an entire bouquet of vibrant flowers and gently pushing him towards a girl standing across the street. Of course, with such density of people, some noticed the exchange and soon the entire street was cheering and bumping the two together.

It wasn't serene but it was peaceful. People had bright smiles firmly placed on their faces, exuberant yells could be heard from all over the place, and not even once did I see anyone too afraid to look others in the eyes. It was like seeing a giant get-together of former classmates or a massive D&D session where everyone knows each other.

It felt alien to me.

"Look, look! Is that a-?"

"Witch Hunter!"

"Sir!" I dumbly turned my head to stare at the boy who didn't look a year above ten, and was currently tugging at my sleeve, "You're a Witch Hunter, right? A real Witch Hunter?"

"Yes, I am," I answered, unsure of what to do, "Can I help you with something?"

"Come play with us!"

What? I just- what?

"Please, come on!" The kid suddenly deflated and glanced back at the group of children around his age, all of whom were patiently staring us. One girl in particular was even biting her lip, watching us with bated breath, "Jenny- All of us always wanted to see a real Witch Hunter. Could you please join us?"

I blinked at him. The boy immediately averted his eyes, clearly unsettled by the toxic yellow of my irises. Sighing, I looked back at the support crew. Kids, all around ten years of age, all in really simple clothing. More than that, it was very similar, almost like a uniform. Around a dozen children wearing the same clothes was definitely out of the ordinary.

Unable to quell the urge, I reached out and tousled the courageous boy's hair. A soft smile I didn't even want to contain bloomed by itself.

"Sure thing, champ," His eyes lit up like beacons in the nights, an excited grin splitting his face in two. When he began to pull me towards his friends, I gave a little show of resisting and then being 'forcefully' pulled, "Hey now, easy there!"

I laughed. I couldn't help. It was just so bright, so cheerful. Frankly speaking, I was surprised with myself. I've never been good with children, mostly because the vast majority of smaller ones kept messing with my minis whenever I wasn't around, and the older ones were usually insufferable self-entitled pricks. These seemed nice enough, though.

I noted the understanding chuckles of the crowd around me, causing my eyebrow to twitch. Stop laughing at me, dammit, this isn't funny. I'm a mighty inquisitor, I've seen shit you wouldn't even dream of!

Grumbling under my breath, I made sure to exercise my jaw to resume the blood flow and not allow any redness to become visible. I had an image to uphold!

"Mr. Witch Hunter, Mr. Witch Hunter!" The chirpy cries reached my ears when I got close enough to the small group. Hehe, 'small group.' I love myself.

"So," I smiled, in part at my own joke, "What do we play?"

"Monster Hunting-"

"Hide and Seek!" Almost a dozen of childish throats roared in excitement. The one boy who spoke first stumbled and huffed, the rest blowing a raspberry at him.

I moved with the gang away from the Cathedral, noting there wasn't any animosity between that boy and others. Perhaps such occurrences happened quite often.

On our way in some random direction, I briefly considered commenting the kids to memory but decided against. They didn't even tell me their names yet, and I'd probably forget about them an hour after we parted anyway. My memory for people was bad-bad.

Anyway, three days were more than enough to search the city for useful materials so I came to the conclusion that spending some time with the kids wouldn't hurt. It was actually kind of fun. The little hellions were hyperactive to a fault, so much so that I even lost track of time, and ended up hiding and seeking for hours on end

By the time the skies began to dim, I finally looked around proper and realized that I had no idea where we were. The children were panting around me, some leaning against the walls while other just sitting on the ground, exhausted but with satisfied smiles. I heard stories from the concluded game being passed around, like the places where they hid and the tricks they used to find others but I was much more interested in my surrounding.

This place was nothing like the streets around the Cathedral. Where before were pristine houses of stone and wood, now stood slowly decaying shacks. The buzzing crowds of laughing people were replaced by a rare drunkard quietly swearing to himself. Under the light of the setting sun, this placed looked like an abandoned war camp.

"Quite a sight, right, Mr. Witch Hunter?" The boy who came up to me in the first place spoke somberly by my side. His short-cut brown hair left open the clouded dark blue eyes that were now staring somewhere in the distance, "The slums are always like that. It's hard to play around here, we always get yelled at, so we go play at the main streets. It's always so shiny, and everyone is so happy…"

"The slums…" I muttered. So this is what Lescatie's slums were like. The breeding ground for the poor, miserable, and violent. As well as the occasional monster, "Looks dangerous. Would you like me to accompany you back home?"

"Our home is here, Sir," One of the girls approached us, a timid little thing with a long braid of light brown hair and gray-blue eyes. Maybe a sister? "Just a few streets away, in the orphanage."

"In the…" Orphanage? So that's why their clothes looked so similar to each other. Sad, but not something I can do anything about, "I see. Well then, would you like me to accompany you there?"

They shared looks, then wobbled over to the rest of the group. Out of politeness, I filtered out their conversation, letting it pass through my mind without leaving any information. A very useful skill when you're trying to ignore someone without showing it, I must say.

About a minute of hectic whispers later, they looked at me and nodded seriously. I cracked a small smile at the sight, their attempt to look all adult-like was adorable at best.


I chuckled quietly and followed them into the dark alleys of the slum area. Naturally, I was already hiding a flashbang rock in one hand, and a frag-grenade rock in the other. It was absurd just how easy it was to turn stones into grenades with a bit of rune magic.

Fortunately, nothing bad ended up happening, outside of a single barely-conscious man lying in the pool of his own waste who began screaming the moment he saw. Just one glare from me was enough to shut him up, though his grumbles chased us for almost a minute after that. To my surprise, the kids weren't affected at all by the encounter, at least not visibly.

We finally stopped in front of a small church, nothing grand but leagues above the rubbish that surrounded it. It was made of stone and wood, almost like the houses in the main streets, and yet just a tad bit less. Right above the front door, a cross of the Chief God was painted in yellow colors.

One of the kids knocked on the door and, almost immediately, my ears picked up the sound of paced but clearly rushing footsteps coming towards us. Whoever it was, they were definitely eager to see the visitors, even though lacked the desire to show it.

The door softly creaked as it opened, long streaks of salad green instantly catching my attention. I soon realized that it was, in fact, hair, when its owner, a stunning young woman with deep purple eyes, peeked out and gently smiled at the children.

She was wearing a priestly garb, of sorts, blue and white with golden trimming, that was actually quite provocative. She shoulders were left open, as were her thighs, with only several sheets of blue cloth acting as a skirt. Also, dark green high tights. High tights.

I mean, really?

After the nun, I think at least, was done greeting the kids, I saw her eyes wonder in my direction and narrow. Slowly, her gaze made its way up from my robe to my face, whereupon it softened drastically, though not enough to be called friendly

"A Witch Hunter," Her voice was akin to a song of the spring, as beautiful as it was cold, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"They asked me to play with them, and I just so happened to have some free time on my hands," I shrugged. Whatever her problem was, it wasn't mine. Unless she made it mine, of course, "Then, after seeing where we ended up, I offered to keep them company on the way home. I'm assuming that home is right here so my duty to humanity is done for now."

She looked down at the children who nodded when they understood her unspoken question. This time, she turned to me with something that could be called a smile.

"Then you have my thanks for taking care of them," To my surprise, the priestess bowed, "Most people would've just ignored them but it makes me happy to know that someone did not."

"Really?" I cocked my head to the side, "Everyone seemed pretty friendly to me. Well, on the main streets, I mean. Here, the population was a bit… dour, yeah."

Instead of responding, she opened the door even further and ushered the kids inside. I was about to leave, thinking that she didn't want to talk anymore and the conversation was finished but stopped at her expectant look.

"What?" I asked, confused, "Can I help you somehow?"

She opened the door wider. She wasn't inviting me in, was she? Judging by the glare I received originally, she clearly had something against the Witch Hunters, or maybe even the Evervigil. You wouldn't invite someone you suspected to be a mass murderer, would you?

"Yes," The woman giggled, "You can help by coming in. Dinner should be ready by now, Lisia worked very hard on it. Be sure to leave your shoes in the hall."

Nervously swallowing, I careful stepped into the building and did as instructed. Unknown territory meant enemy territory. Especially, when it belonged to someone who absolutely packedwith holy energy, like god damn. The ambient power floating around in the building reminded me to check my apparent hostess for her spiritual presence and holy shit was there a lot of it.

The woman was like a giant beacon of sunlight, a tower of radiant gold that quite literally dissolved the shadows around her. As in, she didn't have a shadow. At all. The spot right under look actually looked brighter, as if a lamp was placed directly above it.

I looked around as I followed her further into the church, mentally comparing this tiny place to the Cathedral. Needless to say, this church was dust compared to it. However, it did have that homey atmosphere that made you want to relax regardless of whether you familiar with the place or not, so it wasn't all bad.

Eventually, we reached the mess hall, where all of the children were patiently sitting around the lone big table. In the adjacent room, which I presumed to be the kitchen, I could see a teenage girl with two dark brown pigtails actively working on something.

The children looked in my direction, smiles blooming on their faces, before turning to the kitchen and calling for some Lisia. The pigtails girl, I assumed.

"Do you need help with setting the table?"

My offer was brutally shot down by the huffing brunette who appeared not a second later, carrying several trays with plates filled with food on them. The weight was most definitely a strain on her but she continued pushing forward before carefully dropping her load on the table, eliciting cheers from the other kids.

"And you are?" She brushed her hair aside and tried to pin me down with a glare. It didn't work, of course, but she got points for trying, "You aren't here to try and take Big Sister away from us, are you?"

"No, I don't think so?" I scratched my chin. Where would I take her anyway? The Evervigil's headquarters was the only place I knew of, and it wasn't exactly open to visitors, "But you are right, introductions are in order. My name is Damien, and I am a Witch Hunter. Nice to meet you all."

"Don't worry, Lisia, Witch Hunters are not someone you should be suspicious of," The priestess shook her head, braids of green flying in every direction, "At least, not if-" She paused, "Never mind. Remember, Aid the Black Robes, and everything should be fine."

I ignored the kids happily digging into the provided food and quirked an eyebrow at the nun who clearly knew something. She shook her head, a tinge of sadness and- was that pity?- visible in her eyes, and was about to say something when the lights in the room flickered.

The children immediately erupted in half-confused half-excited murmurs, and I looked as the priestess frowned and then clapped her hands twice. The light returned to normal.

Already having a sneaking suspicion as to what I'll see, I looked up and sighed at the sight of a glowing crystal embedded in the ceiling. The same one I had in my own room. And a big brother to the one that was powering the amulet.

"There we go. Now that that is dealt with, allow me to introduce myself: I am Sasha Fullmoon, a caretaker of this church and these poor souls."

And she definitely had no idea that the Evervigil were a thing.

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Chapter 17.


Sasha Fullmoon. Now that's a coincidence. Though I wasn't particularly well-versed in MGE plotline, however scarce, I was still familiar with some of the main characters of the Fall of Lescatie. And one of them was steadily eating her dinner right in front of me.

A famous hero who decided to stay close to the people, refusing to relocate to the castle or the Cathedral. A user of holy energy of untold power, easily rivaling even the stronger monsters out there, though with a strict policy against killing. She was like Batman, except injuries went out of the window as well. Only harmless takedowns. Only knockouts and repelling the enemy.

In other words, she was a pacifist.

A pacifist that ran a human orphanage within the city, and a monster orphanage hidden in the woods near it. A genuinely good person whose strength of heart and kindness eventually led to her downfall, and that of an entire nation.

Maybe that outcome could be prevented. Maybe not. Right now, I was too busy enjoying the meal.

"My compliments to the chef," I gave an encouraging smile to the Lisia girl, ignoring the indignant huff I received in response, "Excuse my rudeness but I would've never excepted an orphanage located in the slums to be like… this."

"Even though I retired, the Order still pays for my expenses," Sasha set her cutlery aside for a second to answer my unspoken question.

"And you spend it on this?" It was incredibly selfless, there was no doubt about that. Surprisingly so, "I must say, it might not mean much, but you have my respect. Few people would choose to live the life you do."

"Thank you," She giggled, almost cartoonishly covering her mouth with one hand, "No amount of money is worth the smiles I can put on children's faces. Though, I could say the same about you. I heard becoming a Witch Hunter is quite an endeavor."

"In a way," The neutral grin I tried to show turned out shaky, "It has been an… experience. Especially in these trying times."

"Oh," Her eyes widened, "Did something happen?"

"Just a mission gone awry," I waved her off, the turned to one of the kids happily munching on the chicken legs, "Do you mind passing me one of those?" He did so, "Thanks."

"A mission? Tell me, tell me!" A girl, Jenny, I think, grabbed me by the sleeve and began to tug on it.

"Ah, I don't think it's-" A barely noticeable grimace appeared on the priestess' face as she attempted to pry the girl off of me. However, by that time the whole table began to chant.

"Tell us, tell us!"

"Fine, fine!" I placatingly raised my hands and, when everyone quieted down, wiped my lips with a napkin, "I'll tell you the story. Not all of it, of course, that's confidential information, but most of it. So, I'm rather new to this whole Witch Hunter business, to be honest, so I was obviously anxious. Traveling the distance, meeting new people, all of that. I left with a squad of Stalwart Shields," I tried to recall their number but came out blank, "Seven of them. All wonderful people, great warriors, and noble of heart."

"I want to be a Stalwart Shield, just like Big Brother!" The boy who wanted to play Monster Hunting suddenly exclaimed and was immediately shushed by the rest of my attentive audience. Even Sasha listened with interest, and just a little bit of worry.

"I'm sure you'll achieve your dreams in the future. Who knows, I might even put in a good word for you," I chuckled, "Anyway, we eventually reached this village on the outskirts of Lescatie, and decided to stay the night. Now, what I didn't know, was that a vile monster made its lair in that village and that everyone living there was already under its control."

There was a collective gasp from the children and a separate one from their substitute mother. My keen senses picked up the more pained undertones of the latter but I gave it no mind.

"I fought like a beast, nay, ten beasts! But the dastardly monster sent all of its minions at me instead of facing me in honorable combat! I had a duty, and I knew that, but I couldn't find the strength to strike down the innocents whose only fault was being weaker than the wicked creature," The embers of passion for story-telling that I thought had died a long time ago began to reignite in my heart. As I talked, I could almost see myself fighting an incoming horde of brainwashed minions, a Hero covered in wounds, standing among the burning wreckage of the village, "I let myself be captured. For three days and three nights did the monster try and break my resolve. It whispered sweet lies in my ears, promising the life of pleasure and fulfillment should I renounce the Chief God."

At this singular moment, I loved children. I could see it all, the fear, the anticipation, the glorious cocktail of emotions brewing behind the watering eyes. They were enthralled, they were terrified, they were worried. They waited with bated breath for me to continue my tale, some clutching the forks and knives until their knuckles turned white, other staring at me with mouths hanging open and half-chewed food almost spilling from them.

I, on the other hand, have never before felt more alive.

Their feelings were mine. Not to command, just mine. Their excitement, their horror, I felt it all bubble inside me in response to seeing it on their faces. A rush that no drug could ever give. A rush that made me feel human.

"But I resisted!" I yelled, "And on the fourth day, the monster finally came to seal my fate. It was annoyed with me, I could tell as much. I knew not what it planned to do to me but I stared right in the eye nonetheless. It neared me, brandishing its claws, ready to rip out my heart… and feast on it before my very eyes!"

My facial muscles were spasming, twitching and twisting, as I tried to keep the manic smile off my face.

"And when I gave my final prayers and asked Chief God to inform the Order of my death, so they could send reinforcements and help all of these unfortunate people… I heard a scream from outside the keep where the monster held me."

"A-and then?" A trembling voice of the small brown-haired girl rang out in complete silence.

"And the monster fled. Because it recognized the voice, as did I. It was good friend, a fellow Witch Hunter, who came to rescue me!" The chair thundered across the floor as I shot up and began to wildly gesticulate to ongoing events of my story, "He saw what happened to the villagers and cried out in rage! For his heart couldn't bear the cruel atrocities inflicted upon humanity by the foul creature! And so he screamed and charged towards the keep where I was held!"

"B-but what about the villagers?" Some other kid timidly spoke.

My friend inherited a mighty technique from his grandfather," I modified the plot on the fly, "An ability to punch the wickedness right out of the monsters! So when he struck the monster's minions, they immediately regained their minds and helped him purify the rest!"

"Yay!" Was the collective scream, "Go Mr. Witch Hunter!"

"By the time I managed to break out of my prison, using the chaos reigning around me, the monster had no more followers. And so witnessed how my battle brother cornered it and engaged in glorious melee! They fought like titans, thunder and lightning flying from their fists in every direction. But the monster cheated."

"No way!"

"Whereas my savior used some of his power to protect the people and their only dwellings from the onslaught of destructive forces, the creature had no such reservations. And when he was distracted by redirecting a gout flame away from the local church, it struck a vicious blow!"

"No!"

"That monster!"

"Mr. Witch Hunter was alright, right? Right?!"

"I am afraid not," I shook my head grievously. I could've sworn someone started to cry, "The injury was terrible. He could barely stand, and would've surely died."

"So he's alive?!"

"I had a choice before me!" I raised my fist to the skies, then slowly brought it down to my face, "The monster used this opportunity to flee from its righteous judgment. I could've pursued it, though there was no guarantee I would've succeeded as I was greatly weakened by my imprisonment. Yet that was what my duty told me to do. Or," I looked them over with heavy eyes, "I could choose my friend's life. If I were to rush to heal him, he would pull through. But the monster would've gotten away. A friend's life or a Witch Hunter's duty. It wasn't even a choice."

"Y-you helped your friend, didn't you?"

"No way, he risked his life to stop that monster! If it got away, everyone would've suffered in vain!"

"But the villagers were saved!"

"The monster would take over another village!"

"I saved his life." I stated gravely.

"Yes!"

"Mr. Witch Hunter's friend lives!"

"But what about the monster?"

"It got away, for I am no Chief God," I sighed dramatically, "And I am afraid that it is still at large. It prowls around in the dark of night, waiting for an opportunity to get back at us and try to claim me once more. That's why I can't ever lay down my guard."

"Mr. Witch Hunter…"

"And now it knows about this place too," There was a wave of terrified gasps, "But I'm sure your Big Sister can protect you from it, so be sure to listen to her, okay?" I lowered my arms and gave them a cheerful smile, "And don't talk to strangers, especially if they have a pair of horns and wings on them."

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"Good, good," I laughed. As I sat back down, I looked at Sasha whose entire posture practically radiated emotional conflict, "Sorry if I took too long. Few people are interested in our exploits. It's always 'just a Witch Hunter' doing 'just a Witch Hunter's work.' My fellows aren't exactly the most talkative people," Father Ferdinand's face appeared before my mind's eye, "Well, most of them anyway."

"Oh, no, by all means. I'm sure they enjoyed the story. And what do you say next?" She looked around the table, brows furrowed.

"Thank you!" Answered the choir.

"That's more like it," She immediately broke down in smiles. Then he eyes darted to me, and an imperceptible pout appeared on her face, "Well, we still have time before you need to go to sleep, so why don't we share some more stories?"

Everyone agreed, and we proceeded to clean up the table. Naturally, I helped, collecting the dishes and the joining Lisia and Sasha in the kitchen. I didn't have a lot of experience with dish-washing but I knew the basics. Pour the washy thing on the item you want to clean, rub until bubbles appear, rinse and repeat. Literally.

My chuckling was drowned out by the sound of running water, thankfully.

When we finished with the dishes and moved to the living room, the entire gang was already waiting. It was a somewhat spacious room with several green sofas and small tables placed near them. Another smart crystal provided the lighting.

"When I was just a newly recruited Hero…" Sasha began her tale of mercy, humility, and heroism. It wasn't a blatant antithesis to what I told but it had a noticeable increase in helpful monsters and Heroes that spared their foes instead of downing them once and for all.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, the stories Sasha and I bounced back and forth at each other spawned some real debate, with children keeping the blessed silence when either of us was talking, and erupting in a volatile argument whenever we paused. To be honest, it was the most fun I've head in a while, perhaps even more than during my time with Ferdinand.

I could see that Sasha was enjoying this as well, probably sensing no malicious intent or purposeful propaganda from me, and she wasn't wrong. As the sky outside devolved into complete darkness, I knew that my sole goal right now was to tell better stories than the priestess. I just couldn't afford to lose.

I lost, of course.

There was no way the single mission I've been through, even with all those half-fictional stories I came up with by modifying various fandoms and TV-shows on the fly, could rival the sheer experienceSasha possessed. She's been a Hero for years, participating in tens, if not hundreds, of battles and skirmishes. Even if she lacked the more 'blood and glory' tales I could whip up, let it not be said that she was in any way sheltered or lacking dramatic talent. Every story she told was full of emotion and color, so much that even I couldn't help but cheer for the monsters from time to time. And why wouldn't I when they were helping humans?

Eventually, the kids had to go to bed, something they did with groans and mumbles of disapproval. Sasha, the tyrant that she was, had none of it, and soon we were the only ones left in the living room.

"I must say, you've been through quite a lot," The priestess beamed at me with a tired smile, "I never would've imagined that someone so young could go through so much."

"You're giving me too much credit," I awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of my neck, "Most of what I said were stories I heard from other Witch Hunters. The one I've participated in personally was the very first one."

"You mean that monster is really still alive?" She was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded, "She actually kidnapped me, and that other Witch Hunter had to save me. For the second time."

Sasha giggled lightly at that, shooting me an understanding smile, "And you 'haven't let your guard down ever since'?"

"Indeed!" I spoke with pride, "Well, I might've relaxed a bit upon reaching the city. Safe space and all that."

"Did you find out why she wanted you in the first place?" She innocently batted her eyelashes, causing me to huff. Of course she would know how monsters really are.

"Yeah. And, slightly deviating from the topic, I hope you understand. Duty," Sasha smiled and prompted me to continue, "When I first woke up, she said something about being jealous of her friend who had a Witch Hunter husband and was constantly… flaunting… it…"

Wait a minute. All Witch Hunters were actually Evervigil. But that means…

Oh.

Oh shit.

"I need to go," I sprang onto my feet and dashed for the hallway, Sasha's startled cry and hurried footsteps following a second later.

"Wha- What happened?" Her breathing was perfectly even as if running across the house was even less tiring than a simple jog.

"I just remembered something, is all," I put on my shoes and ran out into the night, "Good luck and take care of the kids!"

I stood alone in the dark street, wind whistling around me, and cursed. I still had no idea where the Cathedral was supposed to be.

"Oh well," I muttered, "Just look for a very big building."

I saw something gigantic peeking over the rooftops of the slum's shacks and ran there without a second thought.

"I hope it's not too late."

 

[Wishful Thinking]

Author's Notes: Half-way there.



Chapter 18.


I was panting like crazy when I finally reached Father Ferdinand's lab, having run across the streets of Lescatie at full speed. I'd marvel at the blatantly superhuman capabilities my body possessed if I only wasn't scared out of my damn mind.

It may not seem like much but if there was a Succubus or any other monster with an Evervigil for a husband, it meant that the 'top secret Illuminati Inquisition' I was a part of was no longer secret. If even a word got out of our existent, I don't doubt that there'd be an uproar even in human kingdoms. But worst of all, is Druella was informed, she would most definitely prepare for us, a fact that drastically lowered Lescatie's, and by extension mine, chances of survival.

When I finished telling about my discovery, the priest said nothing, just staring at me blankly for almost a minute. Eventually, he spoke in a level tone, without even a trace of his usual cheerfulness.

"Oh. That's… That's, like, bad." He turned to look at the violently bubbling mixture he was working on before I arrived. An especially toxic-looking puff of green smoke was spat out before being immediately sucked into a nearby flask, "We'll have to contact every single agent in the field to see who's still with us. And even then we'd never know whether they are truly on our side until we meet up here in person. Which means calling every single operative back to the headquarters. Dozens of missions interrupted and, therefore, considered failed by default."

He fell silent, then gave a long tortured sigh.

"At least with all the people concentrated here, we could clean the city of mamono presence first. No use killing the rats in your fridge if their nest is in your basement." The priest snapped his fingers, and the solution that looked about to explode vanished without a trace.

"Wait, you have fridges?" I voiced the sudden thought.

"Of course we do," He waved me off and closed his eyes, "How else would we store food without spoiling it? Khm. Every unit is to immediately give their whereabouts and the current state of operations."

His last words pulsed with holy energy, reverberating both in my ears and inside my head. The voice definitely sounded like Father Ferdinand, is one excluded his characteristic upbeat tones. And I didn't even see any amulets or other tools light up on his person.

While the priest was staring into space, probably sorting through responses, a hand tapped me on the shoulder. My eyes widening, I whirled around, flashbang in hand, but calmed down when I saw Father Klaus staring at me.

"What happened?" His question was brusque.

"Elibeth told me one of her friends had Witch Hunter husband," I quickly reported, "And because all Witch Hunter are Evervigil, I deemed it important enough to return from my assignment."

"And you didn't say it before because?" He wasn't quite angry but that undertone of disappointed was easy enough to pick up.

"I forgot." I winced. Lying was out of the window, the situation was too critical for fooling around.

"I see," Klaus frowned, then nodded, "You might want to undergo a few procedures to improve your mental capabilities. If not, make sure that this never happens again. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" I breathed out in relief and saluted. The priest clicked his tongue and turned to the still silent Father Ferdinand.

"Is everyone accounted for?"

"Yes," The red-head nodded slowly, "Unfortunately."

"Then we have no choice," Father Klaus growled, "If they somehow managed to work around the amulet's resistance to demonic energy, then we have no way of identifying the traitor like this. We have to call everyone back."

"Wait, but I already told you that Elibeth succeeded in taking it off," I interjected, "What's the big surprise?"

"That Succubus took it off, yes, but it was rendered completely useless in the process," Ferdinand explained, "What we are facing right now is someone with a working amulet despite the presence of demonic energy within their body. It also means that I'll have to upgrade it in some way. At least distributing the new version won't be a problem."

"So, what now?" This was big. I had no idea how many things the Evervigil ran at once but disrupting all of them will surely have repercussions. I just hope that nothing too bad will happen.

"Now, you are to take this and resume your task," Ferdinand pulled out a small pendant in the shape of the Lescatie's crest with a tiny crystal inserted in the middle, "Unlike the amulet, this is just a communication device. If you stumble onto something interesting, be sure to contact me. Same goes for remembering anything else of importance."

"Alright," I put the trinket around my neck, instantly sensing the grains of holy energy within it, "By your leave."

"How long do you think it will take for everyone to assemble?" I heard Father Ferdinand ask as I exited the cavern.

"A week at most," Father Klaus replied.

A few seconds later I was standing in front of the elevator disk. Did I mention just how much I loved the space-warping corridors of this place?

Having memorized the road to the front gates, it didn't take me long to leave the Cathedral, a mistake I realized too late to avoid.

It was still the middle of the night.

"Well, crap," I rubbed my itching eyes and looked at the empty streets, "So where do I go now? Returning back to the headquarters would be just embarrassing. Sleep on the streets?"

I grumbled under my breath but admitted that it was an option I had to consider. It was either that or being lucky enough to find a tavern that was still open.

"Bah, it's no big deal," I wasn't sure whether I tried to convince myself or some invisible observer but it worked. A confident smile worked its way up my face, "The world has always been on my side anyway. There ain't no fate from which I don't benefit eventually."

And that was the truth. Ever since my early childhood, I figured out that my life followed a simple rule of karmic balance: for every problem I faced, I'd receive an equal payment in good fortune. And, regardless of what happened, somehow, in some way, shape, or form, I've always come out on top.

Failed a test? Turns out it wasn't even that important. Broke a phone? There's a discount on a much better model. Lost a friend? Surprise-surprise, apparently they got involved with the wrong crowd and are now closely watched by the police.

I had no idea whether that was actually how things worked or if it was just me making stuff up to seem special. Neither did I care, really, for facts spoke for themselves. Besides, it has always helped me to maintain a positive outlook on life, so I'm not complaining.

This situation was still unfortunate, though.

"Maybe I should really just go back?" I wondered, then resolutely shook my head, "No. That's not how a Witch Hunter do. If push comes to shove, I'll just stay awake for the entire night."

My plan set in stone, I began to wander the streets and alley of our mighty city, the veil of night doing exactly nothing to prevent my enhanced eyes from gathering information on my surroundings.

With the sun and people gone, Lescatie looked a lot less cheerful. Cold stone houses, roads devoid of life. It was slightly creepy but also rather liberating. I was alone here. Alone with the warm breeze.

Restarting the music, I hit random and simply walked to the beat blaring in my ears.

"Actually," I stopped in the middle of the street, then turned in the direction where I remembered the slums were, "I technically have only two days left to gather the materials. And, since all the shops are closed, maybe I can find something interesting meanwhile?"

Quietly whistling "Under Pressure" to myself, I reached the slums in no time, it's gloominess further amplified by nighttime. The looked like something from Stalker, I swear.

There was little to no chance of anything of interest to me just lying on the ground, so I opted to rely on my more esoteric senses to engage in the hunt. Who knows, maybe I'd be able to spot traces of demonic energy hiding in some obscure building.

Like that one for example.

Excited and slightly anxious grin on my face, I made a beeline for a completely nondescript shack with a half-collapsed roof and a missing door. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, except for a barely noticeable sweet and bitter smell coming from within.

I clicked my tongue as I summoned a flashbang rock. I've meaning to use for god knows how long in a real combat situation. Those few times I was testing and tweaking its parameters in the arena didn't count. Same went for the frag grenade, actually.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered and leaned against the wall beside the empty doorframe, carefully listening to the sounds coming from inside the building. At first, there was only silence and I began to feel tempted to just walk in already but then a faint noise caught my ear. Labored breathing and… high pitched moans of pleasure? I carefully peeking inside with one eye, I was treated to the most disgusting sight of some haggard unshaven man going at it with a living doll the size of a ten-year old.

Suppressing my desire to puke, I snapped my face back to the outside world and raised my eyes to the visible crescent of the moon, "Why, Chief God? Why?" My attempts to purge the image of what I'd call a pretty girl under almost any other circumstances having 'fun' was rendered null and void by the uninterrupted stream of sounds grating against the back of my mind.

If I wanted to sleep soundly for the next week, I had to act now.

My first thought was to throw in a flashbang, knock out the occupants of this sad excuse of a building, and drag the Doll to the headquarters. A sense of revulsion tried to rear its head and protect the 'child' from the horrors of the Evervigil's dungeon but I quickly drowned it in memories of such a 'child' sentencing an entire family to death. Even a seemingly harmless monster was a source of corruption for everyone around it and had to be neutralized to avoid massive casualties.

Sasha's stories came to mind, where some monsters proved to be more useful than not, primarily by informing the Order's kill squads of the location of more dangerous and violent monsters but even they would've had to be dealt with eventually. Even though mamono by themselves weren't all that bad for the most part and only wished for a happy life, the situation in general was… complicated. Whatever, I have more immediate problems to deal with right.

In any case, the monster had to be taken care of. Especially with an entire orphanage of yet-uncorrupted children nearby.

I squeezed the enchanted rock, preparing to activate the timer when a mind-bogglingly ludicrous idea came to mind. It was dumb. The situation called for an entirely different approach.

But still…

"…true art comes from the heart. To achieve the best results, you have to love doing what you're doing. Love your job and you'll never have to work a day in your life, as they say."

"Ah, screw it," I muttered, doing my best to calm the suddenly rampaging nerves, "If I'm going to feel like this every time I have to off an 'innocent' monster, might as well sweeten the pill for myself."

Activating the runic array, I circled the door in one swift motion and lobbed the rock right at the bearded man's forehead.

"THOT BE GONE!"

Activating the runes regulating my vision, the world went black instead of white for me, and when I turned my eyesight back on a second later, I became the only unimpaired person in the room.

The man was lying down unconscious, with a small indentation right above his eyeline. I've trained enough with my modified body to measure the necessary amount of force to knock him out without killing. Sure, there was a bit of blood splattered around but we can just consider it divine punishment for his sins against humanity.

The Doll, on the other hand, was wailing in agony, one hand frantically waving around while the other was violently rubbing at its eyes. Unfortunately for me, it was yet to get off the now-motionless human, so I had to endure more psychological torture. It wasn't as bad as it could've been, years spent on 4chan did a good job at vaccinating me against the horrors of the world, but it didn't mean that I like what I saw.

I fact, I took some extra pleasure in putting the monster out of its misery by firmly planting my boot into its face. Despite being a monster, the Doll's strength was proportionate to its childish body, so I was able to launch it across the room and into the wall. As I approached, it tried to mumble something, clutching the wounded area with both hands, and it almost succeeded in making me halt.

A family, gone.

A second kick squashed it in between the wall and me, putting it down for good. I took a second to check whether it was still alive, it was, and to briefly admire the beauty it must've once possessed. Long, royal hair of platinum, cute yet enticing features, and some very interesting ball joints. It would've made a wonderful younger sister if nor for its nature.

I shook my head in dejection. Even though I… disliked monsters for what they meant for my species, my sense of aesthetics wept at the sight of the Doll's beaten form. And, somewhere in the back of my mind, locked behind the walls of reason and grim determination, I couldn't help but weep with it.

Sighing, I turned to the passed out man and checked his pulse. Still among the living.

"Okay, friend, I know you're out but listen here," I knelt beside him and whispered, "I'm going to give you one chance. Normally, I'd say it to your face and then observe your behavior for some time but I don't have the, well, time for that. So, we're going to do this the quick and painful way," I raised my hand and prepared to dump as much holy energy as I could into him, doing my best to recall the way Father Klaus' energy moved during his fight with the Lessers, "You die, you fail. You live, and you're redeemed. Good luck," With that, I brought my palm down on his chest. Nothing? Hm, maybe I should try again- "Oh, wait. Shit. I forgot, sorry."

I facepalmed with my other hand and groaned in embarrassment. Alright, Damien, it's all good, no one saw that.

"Uhm, too bad, I guess," I shrugged. This time, I slowly moved my hand towards his jugular, "Come on, man, you have to. He's not an incubus but he's been through the Hook and is already addicted. If you let him live, he'll just find himself more monstergirls to spend time with. You can do it, man. For the good of humanity. The greater good."

I sucked in a breath and prepared to strike when a genius thought pierced my mind like a lightning bolt. He's going to seek out mamono. Seek them out. By himself. And, because he still had traces of demonic energy inside him, they'd look for him in turn. Which means…

"Genius," I grinned and moved my hand away from the unconscious body, "Congratulations, you don't just get to live another day but also an opportunity to serve your entire race!. Maybe. If you don't die from some infection or other."

I cracked the rotting wood of the wall with a light punch and broke off one of the resulting jagged fragments. Not the best scalpel I've ever wielded but it'll have to make do. Turning the man on his stomach with a quick shove, I began to carve the tracking runes onto his back.

"Circle, circle, smiley face," I hummed as I cut the rough and, to be honest, quite disgusting skin with a piece of wood, "A few lines here, and… done."

Examining the fruit of my effort with a proud smile, I ended up adding a tiny Illuminati symbol right where his heart would be. There some more blood, obviously, but I couldn't quite heal the wounds without runic circles, so I left him be. Hopefully, he'll survive and lead me to new mamono. Hopefully, it will be something other than a Doll.

"Now, as for you," I looked back at the Doll, "I'm afraid I have to invite you to my humble abode. Sorry if this is all so sudden but… eh… Ah, whatever. Come on, Kage, you're coming with me!"

I moved to hoist it up onto my shoulders but stopped when I saw the rather unclean state it was in.

"Ugh, filth. Filth, filth, filth," I whispered like a chant, "I can't carry you like this. You'll get it all over my robes. Yuck."

I had to make the mamono decent somehow. But I didn't have any tissues or wipes on me, nor were there any replacements in this dumpster of a dwelling.

"The hard way it is," I groaned and picked the Doll up, being extra careful that I grab only the unsoiled parts, "I hope this doesn't damage your structure too much."

Having said that, I did what any sane man would do when about to eat salad with a fork covered in ketchup and lacking in tissues – wipe it against the border of the plate. Or, in this case, the walls and the floor.

It was a tiresome, thankless job that involved a lot of swearing and breaks to kick the man whose fault this whole situation was but, eventually, I managed to make the Doll look tolerable. Even though I had to put it back to sleep two more times, which resulted in more bruises and lumps on its fleshy porcelain skin.

"Fookin' finally," I picked it up in a fireman's carry, "You were a righteous pain in the arse, you know that?"

I grumbled and cursed all the way back to the Cathedral, and yet I couldn't keep an excited grin off my face.

Because, despite all the trouble it had caused me, I knew that I just acquired my first rare ingredient for a recipe that I haven't even come up with yet. The first step to creating my first real artifact.

"I think I'm starting to like this job…"

 

[Dante]

I really like how the MC's slowly decaying morals when faced with a corruption death world is mixing with his love of knowledge. He is going to create some glorious abominations against nature for humanities survival.
I look forward to more.