Demon.
An evil being depicted in religions as one that opposes the gods.
While the religious structure in the world of Reca Chronicles differs significantly from modern religions, the fact that gods are hostile toward demons remains the same.
Of course, this only applies to “good gods” or those close to “neutral.” Among the gods not officially worshipped by the Holy Nation, there are some with eccentric or cruel tendencies that are difficult for humans to comprehend.
For example, the God of Chaos worshipped by the Chaos Church is one such deity. He is a god whose criteria for bestowing blessings or curses lack any consistency.
In any case, according to the setting, there are 66 demons in the Reca Chronicles world. Each of these demons possesses its own unique authority.
However, having lost their physical bodies long ago, they need to rely on someone with a physical form in order to properly exercise their powers.
This is where Demon Contractors (S) come in — individuals who form direct contracts with demons and inherit their unique authorities.
The types of authorities Demon Contractors can wield are extremely varied. Most require complicated preparations or offerings, but in nearly all cases, they possess formidable power.
Therefore, depending on which demon’s authority Yustasio had contracted with, the future policies of both the Holy Nation and myself would change accordingly.
Several days had passed since we arrived at the Holy Nation.
Our group, having reached the Church of Utility, took seats on one side of the conference room.
High-ranking representatives from each church of the Holy Nation — the Life Church, Thousand Gold Church, Church of Struggle, Church of Leisure, Church of Fortune, and others — gradually took their seats.
Finally, the High Priest of the Circulation Church and the current Pope of the Church of Utility, Stamatis Martrellis, appeared. As if on cue, the meeting began.
Soon after, a man was dragged onto the stage at the center of the conference room while restrained.
Stamatis opened his mouth.
“This man is Simon Nores, the vice-leader of the Praszkeak Guild.”
“The vice-leader of Praszkeak…? How did someone like him end up here, Your Holiness?”
“It is the result of a joint operation between the Inquisitors of our Church of Utility and the assassins of the Circulation Church. Additionally, the members of the Blispiel Clan seated here today have played a major role.”
“Umm…!”
The priest representing the Church of Insight glanced in our direction as if to say, ‘The Blispiel Clan again?’
We have indeed been quite active lately.
To outsiders who knew nothing, our activities might not just seem impressive but almost like a mythical figure appearing everywhere at once. After all, we had been intervening in all kinds of incidents using our future knowledge to the fullest.
“So, Your Holiness the Pope of Utility. Were you able to use inquisitors to extract internal information about Praszkeak from this vice-leader?”
“Unfortunately, that was not possible.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whether due to an ancient magic formula or the work of a demon contractor, the moment Simon Nores uttered a specific keyword, his entire body exploded. A restraint of this level must have been placed with his own consent. As wicked as this demon worshipper may be, we must acknowledge his loyalty and resolve.”
“…?”
The High Priest of the Church of Insight, who had asked the question, looked momentarily stunned. The phrase ‘his entire body exploded’ made it sound as if Simon Nores had actually blown up.
In a way, that was half-true.
The interrogation of Simon had been carried out with extreme caution. We administered truth serums to cloud his mind and carefully extracted information while avoiding the self-destruction keyword as much as possible.
We had actively utilized the two Soul Imprints possessed by the elders of the Ascetic Church — Tisie’s Multi-Phantasm Executor (U) and Bruno’s Black-and-White Judgment (U).
Incidentally, the reason Tisie and Bruno had come all the way here was entirely at my request.
The two elders rarely left Mount Kapali, but thanks to the previous incident with the Magnus Horn Chalice (S), they had become wary and willingly responded to my call to come to the Holy Nation.
After identifying the existence of the explosion keyword within the virtual world created by Multi-Phantasm Executor (U), we no longer gave Simon the chance to speak directly. Instead, we used the two Soul Imprints to conduct the interrogation in a simple ‘YES or NO’ format.
By slowly reducing the blind spots in the information this way, we were eventually able to reach the core.
The Pope of Utility explained the entire interrogation process, and every priest seated in the room widened their eyes in shock.
Unlike Bruno, who had once been a Triple Star, Tisie’s name was hardly known to the public. In the original history, she only became famous in Part 3 when she stood against the Five Heroes.
“Unbelievable…”
“To think the Ascetic Church had someone with such incredible pseudo-precognitive abilities. Truly astonishing.”
The priests from the Church of Insight and the Church of Struggle reacted with great surprise. I could only offer a bitter smile as I watched them.
The functions of Multi-Phantasm Executor (U) were divided into two main categories. In the story, these were referred to as the continuous ‘Phantasm’ and the trigger ‘Fiction Crossover.’
Although the two functions were inseparable and symbiotic, if one were to evaluate their performance, ‘Phantasm’ was merely an appetizer, while the latter ‘Fiction Crossover’ was on an entirely different level of brokenness.
Without this ability, it would have been impossible for the significantly weakened forces of the Prima Continent in Part 3 to defeat the Five Heroes.
“Everyone, please take a look at this.”
At the Pope’s slight gesture, priests of the Church of Utility brought a box to each representative of the various churches.
“Is this… a pill?”
“It seems to contain an extraordinary energy.”
What lay inside the boxes was none other than the Obsidirola Serum Pill (A), the medicine that had recently caused an explosive increase in the Praszkeak Guild’s combat strength.
The female high priest of the Circulation Church, seated beside the Pope, stepped forward to explain.
She appeared significantly younger than the other priests, yet no one seemed to mind.
This was because the black-and-white clerical robes she wore symbolized the second most sacred position after the Holy Emperor himself.
“This pill was created using the power of the Great Spirit of Holy Blood, Obsidirola, whose existence is recorded in ancient texts. According to the information extracted from Simon Nores, the Praszkeak Guild imprisoned a girl around twelve years old and forcibly extracted her blood in order to mass-produce these pills.”
“How horrifying…”
“The important part comes next. The pills placed before you are the original versions created by the girl who contracted with the Great Spirit. However, what the Praszkeak Guild is currently using is a modified version that has undergone one round of alteration.”
“Modified? In what way?”
As if anticipating the question, the priests placed an additional box in front of each representative.
Inside the new boxes were Obsidirola Serum Pills · Modified (A+). The female high priest picked one up and continued.
“After examining various ancient documents, we believe the modification utilized the authority of the demon ‘Terpatizan.’”
“There is such a demon?”
“Yes. Terpatizan is known to possess the authority to crystallize and stockpile its own power. Originally, it was impossible to share this power with others… but through a pharmaceutical process using the Great Spirit of Holy Blood, they seem to have broken that limit by melting the crystallized demonic power into the pills.”
A priest from the Church of Leisure asked carefully.
“…Hm, so what happens when one consumes these modified pills?”
“Please refer to this footage.”
Beep!!
A video appeared in mid-air.
[No need to drag this out. Everyone, take the serum pills.]
[Understood, Boss!]
Crunch! Crack!
This video had been recorded through the third spell of the Nano Eater, <Third Mouth>.
The footage clearly showed the Praszkeak executives undergoing physical transformations immediately after ingesting the pills.
Veins bulging across their bodies, bodies swelling to enormous sizes, skin turning pitch black… Even through the screen, the grotesqueness was palpable. Several priests turned deathly pale.
“How can such a pill exist…”
“What in the world is that?!”
The representatives of each church either sighed heavily or became greatly agitated. The female high priest of the Circulation Church took a breath and continued.
“The original strengthening pills created with the power of the Great Spirit Obsidirola merely grant a temporary boost to the user’s strength. For those with above-average vitality, there are almost no side effects or aftereffects. However, the more one consumes the modified pills, the more permanent changes occur in the body.”
“Permanent changes, you say?”
“According to the analysis from the Alpanium Library, the body and mind gradually transform into something resembling a demon.”
The priests in the conference room gasped. If that statement was true, this was an issue that required a response at the level of the entire Holy Nation.
Someone asked.
“…That’s strange. Aren’t there only the 66 demons recorded in the Dragon God Scriptures? Can new demons be born?”
“To be precise, they become existences close to Terpatizan’s minions — ‘pseudo-demons.’ While their essence is similar, their power falls far short. However, that is only a relative comparison. Even an ordinary farmer who has never learned any martial techniques would likely gain combat strength comparable to an elite knight of a nation the moment they undergo demonization. Furthermore, these pseudo-demons become faithful servants who obey the contractor of Terpatizan.”
“If they were to mass-produce pseudo-demons and invade neighboring countries… that would be terrifying.”
The female high priest shook her head at the straightforward and simplistic comment from the High Priest of the Church of Struggle.
“…It doesn’t end there. In addition to the strengthening pills, the Praszkeak Guild has been illegally distributing drugs to the upper-class nobles both inside and outside the Wiblet Empire. Our investigation revealed that these drugs also contain crystallized demonic components from Terpatizan, just like the modified pills.”
“What?!”
Some of the priests were so shocked they nearly fell backward. In other words, high-ranking nobles from various countries could unknowingly become puppets of a demon contractor.
The female high priest fell silent, and the atmosphere in the conference hall grew heavy. Soon after, the Pope of Utility cleared his throat and spoke.
“Fortunately, an executor of the Circulation Church succeeded in stabbing the demon contractor of Terpatizan with the Inquisitor’s Needle (S). As soon as we analyze the demonic energy contained in the needle and prove who was stabbed, our Holy Nation will have just cause.”
“Just cause, you say…”
“The justification to demand an investigation into anyone suspected of being a demon contractor within the Wiblet Empire, regardless of status. Since they have committed acts that go against the public interest of the continent, they must pay the appropriate price.”
The Pope of Utility had a resolute expression. The high priests of the nine churches swallowed nervously as they felt the unusual aura emanating from the elderly man.
The short yet lengthy meeting came to an end.
It was decided that warning letters containing official statements from each church would be sent to nobles who had touched Wiblet Empire-made drugs, and the general future policy was roughly established.
[MacGuffin No.150 / Terpatizan recovered.]
[Achievement Points + 5,000]
I looked at the MacGuffin recovery message floating in the air.
Number 150… It was a higher number than I had expected.
Simon had been Yustasio’s close aide, but he hadn’t known everything.
We had learned that he harbored the typical ambition of continental conquest, but we could not uncover the process of his contact with Irumokwi’s clone or the reason he had been able to contract with the demon Terpatizan.
Still, knowing the demon’s name was enough for me to refer to my mental setting book and prepare concrete countermeasures.
Estriel spoke to me.
“Good work.”
“I just sat there. You and your wife worked much harder, didn’t you?”
“No. Dorothea just sat around doing nothing at the orphanage, calling herself a ‘Saint.’ She needs to work hard at times like this… Ugh!”
Smack!
While Estriel was laughing and talking, someone delivered a powerful smack to his back. It was his wife, Dorothea Mirvana.
“You looked away for one second and now you’re saying whatever you want in front of guests!”
<Dorothea Mirvana>
[Level: 46/49]
[Vitality: 13]
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 11]
[Mana: 22]
[Spirit: 07]
[Sense: 12]
[Divinity: 07]
[Traits: High Priestess (S+), Saint · Circulation (S), Halo (A), and 4 others]
[Skills: Circulation Church Vision Holy Magic · Extreme (S), Circulation Mana Cultivation Method (A), Caliroy Vision Self-Defense Art (B), and 5 others]
[Description: Age 51, human race. Wife of Estriel Mirvana and a Saint belonging to the Circulation Church. Having been born with the blessing of the Circulation God, her body does not age beyond a certain point.]
Dorothea Mirvana was none other than the female high priest who had led the meeting earlier as the representative of the Circulation Church.
Like Flora, she was one of only four ‘Saints’ in the entire Holy Nation, and like her husband, she had received the blessing of immortality. Thanks to this, she appeared no older than a girl in her mid-teens on the outside.
“It’s been a while, Madam.”
“Ahem… It has been a while, Aiden. Have you been well?”
Chesa and I had stayed at the Mirvana residence when we visited the Sun Cathedral, so we were already acquainted with Dorothea.
She grabbed me and began chattering about all sorts of personal topics. Although she was unmistakably a chatty middle-aged aunt on the inside, the gap between her appearance and behavior made the experience rather refreshing.
Estriel squeezed between us.
“Dorothea, that’s enough small talk. I have something to tell Aiden.”
“What is it?”
“…Pantilis says he wants to see you. Now that the conflicts between the ten major churches have been somewhat resolved, he finally has some free time.”
“Master Pantilis?”
I was momentarily stunned.
But soon, interest sparked within me.
I’m finally going to meet him face to face.