Chapter 182

“I didn’t expect this much chaos.”

I had always thought being a noble meant living in comfort and dignity, but boy, was I mistaken.

“I refuse to eat this!”

“Aida, look around! There are people out there who would give anything for just this much food. No more whining.”

Aida, my little sister, tossed the bread aside and burst into tears as our father, Count Bradley Somerset, scolded her with a stern expression.

I took a peek at our meal, half expecting it to resemble a feast fit for a noble instead of what we had.

On our table was a sad excuse for soup—a thin, grayish liquid—along with bread that could double as a doorstop.

I mean, even kids would turn their noses up at this.

Determined to eat something, I tried to tear the bread for dipping—but as soon as I broke it—

Crack!

Did I just hear wood snapping?

—

A lot crossed my mind, but still, I didn’t think they expected me to sacrifice myself. That being from my memories didn’t seem like the type to do that.

Above all, it felt like it wouldn’t have told me such things, anyway.

If my last memory wasn’t the time I asked to erase my memories, then it means there’s still more for me to remember, right?

And it seems like it’s not yet my time to step up there. After all, I haven’t done much in this world.

Not telling me everything from A to Z is likely because I’m supposed to discover things one by one myself.

Realizations often can’t be solved through teachings, especially when it involves faith.

“First, let’s try to trace the roots of this incident.”

Seeing the corpse did make me feel gloomy. I felt guilty, too. But I couldn’t just give up and go home now.

What if I told that being my thoughts and said I couldn’t do it—how would it respond?

Sorry, no doubt.

It would probably reply with that. And it would understand if I gave up.

Yet, I also knew at the same time that being wouldn’t give up on this world. For some reason, that being loved humanity so much that it would flail around, trying to find another way, even without me.

Even if everything was destroying itself.

Even if just one person remained, they wouldn’t give up.

“Uh-huh.”

And there was someone who responded to my words.

It was Mari, who had been listening to the conversation.

No other Hunters were around. Everyone inside the church wasn’t from that group.

For the same reasons, Paina and Pertia weren’t here either. They had turned to our faith but still maintained some connections with their own country.

Plus, the church interpreted the reason they were here as ‘political asylum.’

Glaria and Davi were in the same boat… But the mere presence of Davi and Anna, who were almost of a different faith, was feasible because we shared one common value. More than anything, sadly enough, behind those two, there couldn’t be any ‘forces’ backing them up.

“We’ve seen cults a number of times. In the end, they were used and then perished.”

Mari, who had much more experience than Ria and I in such matters, looked down at the corpses with cold eyes.

The reason Anna could be considered a ‘god’ was that she received faith. As time passed, the number of believers dwindled, faith faded as they were pushed back in the lines of confrontation, and her power as a ‘god’ diminished too.

It’s clear that reverting back to ‘demon worship’ wouldn’t be viewed in a positive light.

“Have you ever gone through something like this?”

“Yeah. Some were resolved, and some weren’t.”

“And whether resolved or not, it always turned into quite a significant issue. Demon worship essentially leads to demons descending directly into this world.”

Ria and I blinked at that.

“You all know how I gained my power, right? If that’s the case, then it’s not just me who can possess such abilities.”

That…

“Thank goodness there’s deeply rooted faith here. People can serve the unseen deity better.”

Ria looked at me.

I genuinely believed that being wasn’t a god and lived with that conviction. But…

If I continued to make that claim while causing people to lose their faith, what would happen in this world?

My head throbbed.

“…Can you help us?”

“Of course.”

Anna nodded lightly, responding with determination.

“I want the world to improve too. I want to protect it.”

There was a certain resolve lingering in her eyes.

I recalled the day Anna and Mari had embraced each other.

How long had it been since they had such a moment together? It’s only natural for them to wish to hold onto that sliver of hope after believing they had lost everything.

“Ria, let’s go.”

As I spoke to Ria, she nodded in agreement.

*

Finding traces of magic wasn’t entirely impossible. There were quite a few who could handle magic within the church.

Plus, magic generally pushes against the force of Saint Power, so I could gradually sense it with my own Saint Power.

And the place I found through that sensory ability was…

An apartment complex.

Seriously, in this modern world.

I had suspected we wouldn’t stumble across an ancient cave of tales deep in the woods, but I certainly didn’t expect to find an apartment complex.

It seems like redevelopment had been done a while ago, and the actual apartments were old corridor-style units, not even a complex, just a single building. There were orchards aplenty nearby. True, there were some markets and buildings within a decent walking distance, but for about fifteen minutes, no building taller than this could be found.

In terms of height, this apartment was clearly the tallest in the vicinity.

…And probably where the most people were living too.

“Take it slow and steady,” Anna said, reassuringly.

“But be careful. Humans who start handling magic by receiving it from demons can imitate demons themselves.”

“…”

We all nodded in agreement.

The local police had spoken to us and set up a cordon a good distance away. Although not a massive number, they were growing gradually.

Over there, uniformed soldiers were also gathering in some remote area.

“…”

So, if something happens here, it’ll trigger a full-blown catastrophe.

Even while church members were handing out holy items, soldiers were receiving blessed bullets in their magazines, yet our anxiety remained high.

I had my own shoulder holstered.

“Alright.”

I finished my prayer and stood up. Everyone preparing to breach the apartment was cloaked in a soft white glow.

We headed for the stairs.

If they had anticipated our arrival, they would have tampered with the mechanical sections.

The apartment was 15 floors high.

…A long way ahead.

Most residents, specifically those who didn’t believe in demons, stepped out looking bewildered and terrified, and some even resisted leaving, but we still managed to get them out.

However, for the remaining ones…

The stench.

The smell was overpowering. I’d encountered that odor in that village earlier.

Bang!

As we broke down the locked doors, we saw a room infested with magic. People had melted into the walls and floors.

I didn’t know initially what that black vein-like substance was doing, but…

“A hole’s been opened,” Ria said.

And magic was flowing through that hole.

Even without Anna and Mari explaining it, we all understood. We needed to follow that vein.

It was clearly gathering magic in one place.

We thought so and stepped back into the corridor but—

“Cough!?”

There was a thud as something hit the knight guarding the hallway.

A large dog lunged at the shield the knight was holding. The shield was flat enough that it couldn’t bite down, but after sliding once, the dog persisted this time by biting at the edge.

Crunch.

The edge of the shield crumpled. It was a shield substantial enough to withstand bullets. It couldn’t simply bend just from a bite.

Hiss.

Then, smoke began to rise from its mouth.

“Growl…”

The dog’s eyes glinted. Only the whites were visible.

Thud!

A mace struck the black dog’s head, and the thick, black liquid splattered onto the knight’s armor, evaporating amidst the smoke.

Swish.

As the knight swung the shield, the mutated dog’s carcass flew into the corridor. Unlike other monsters, it didn’t disperse into magic but instead landed as a dog’s body that fell against the wall and slid down.

Ria stepped in front of me. Mari looked back at Anna behind me.

“They’ve been waiting for us,” Ria said, baring her teeth.

We could hear the dog growling again.

How many were there inside? If they were intentionally being created, just how many could they produce?

No, it wasn’t just dogs. Cats, mice, and swarms of insects too.

The sight of those grotesquely contorted creatures pouring out was nothing short of a nightmare.

I summoned saint power in my hand.

“It might be a bit difficult,” Anna said, also wrapping her hand in shimmering saint power.

“They learn too. We can’t gauge how much demons share knowledge. But if they can think like us, they’ll likely adopt the same tactics.”

“What kind of…?”

“…They’ll integrate magic into their bodies. It’s a kind of… creating hybrids. You know life is the best counter to magic, don’t you? The essence of our bodies follows the form of the soul to some extent.”

Anna glanced slightly back at me.

“If they can hide magic within that life form, they’d at least withstand your power for a moment.”

I turned back to look at Ria.

Ria turned back slightly to me, nodded, and smiled.

Then, alongside other knights reinforcing the corridor, she moved forward.

As if it was her duty.

I bit my lip slightly and followed behind her.

We still had many floors to ascend.

More awaited us above, without a doubt.

“…”

A lot of thoughts came to mind, but there was only one thing I needed to do.

The reason I came into this world.

The reason I’m needed, I already know.