Why on earth did Beatrice leave the corpse of a Demon Race member right beneath the bakery she runs?
And why didn’t she inform the village, even though she killed the Demon Race?
No matter how much you try to think about this within the bounds of common sense, it just doesn’t add up.
This should be something easily explained with a proper explanation.
So…
‘I need to think beyond common sense.’
First of all, Beatrice may be pretending to be ordinary, but she is by no means an ordinary woman.
Just looking at the context of the conversation I just had with her proves that.
Most of the Demon Race members in the Demon Army are humans who made contracts with demons.
They gave up being human, which is why the derogatory term ‘Demon Race’ was attached to them.
However, Beatrice regards even such Demon Race members as ‘people.’
The key point is that since they are ultimately rooted in humanity, it’s not entirely wrong to think that way.
But Beatrice goes further—she treats killing the Demon Race not as slaying monsters but as the murder of people.
The absurd part is that she carries out this murder without the slightest hesitation or disgust and with a clear purpose: her own self-preservation.
This means that Beatrice’s murderous acts and her attitude toward them are not limited to just the Demon Race.
If given justification and reason to do so,
she would kill actual humans without hesitation.
And she would do so without any hesitation, acting impulsively as she does now.
Chaeng!
Beatrice’s dagger slanted against my holy sword.
She’s stronger than I expected.
Even though she isn’t a Demon King’s Army Corps Commander yet, her skill in striking vital points is remarkable.
This isn’t the first time she’s done this.
I’m sizing her up as I go, but even compared to assassins roaming shady back alleys, she’s on equal footing.
“Ugh, at least let me land a hit!”
“Nope.”
But that doesn’t mean she can go toe-to-toe with the Hero who killed the Demon King.
I quickly twisted Beatrice’s arm, spun around, and subdued her.
Outwardly, it might look like insane dancers frolicking around the Demon Race corpses, but the reality is quite different.
“L-Let me go!”
“I’ll let you go if you promise to behave.”
“I’ll behave. I promise I’ll behave!”
“Alright.”
I released her without resistance.
Beatrice immediately turned and stabbed her dagger toward my neck.
I reached out and let the dagger pass through my hand.
An unpleasant ripping sound and splattering blood hit my face, but since it’s a wound that heals with one prayer, it didn’t matter.
Grabbing her hand still clutching the dagger, I said,
“Ah, finally we’re looking at each other properly.”
“Iygh!”
“You said you wouldn’t go wild, but as soon as you’re off the leash, you stab someone. Why such a fuss?”
“Well, because you’re an intruder!”
“Earlier, I clearly said I wasn’t here to harm you.”
“How can I believe that? The door was torn off, you barged into the basement without hesitation! And you didn’t even look shocked when you saw the corpses!”
“So, did I curse at you? Call you a corpse-defiling murderer? Or did I come with a royal warrant to arrest you?”
“……”
She had nothing to say and finally fell silent.
“I’ll let go of your hand. Please behave this time.”
Beatrice made a sulky face.
“…Fine. No point in struggling—you’re stronger than me.”
“That’s right.”
I released her hand, and she sprinted toward the door at high speed.
I threw my holy sword and collapsed the entrance.
“This time you didn’t attack!”
“I told you to behave, not to run away.”
I stretched out my hand, and the holy sword returned to me.
Cornered, Beatrice shot me a spiteful glare.
“Why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do wrong…?”
“Are you sure you did nothing wrong?”
“……”
Beatrice fell silent at my words.
Her gaze turned cold, and the spiteful look disappeared.
“What did I do wrong?”
“You asked.”
“You came knowing nothing, yet you’re unfairly accusing me.”
“Ah, so that’s how you think?”
Apparently, she thought I came here clueless.
But what can I do?
That’s not the case.
“I was going to tell you this later, but to clear up the misunderstanding, I need to hit you with the truth.”
“What nonsense…”
“Have you been feeling murderous impulses lately?”
“……”
“Well, maybe it’s inevitable. Abandoned by the family that gave birth to you, longing to be loved by them, you put on the act of normalcy. Yet, in the end, they never loved you. Every day you endure boiling jealousy as you watch your younger siblings smile and live happily between them.”
“……”
“And sometimes, to release that anger, you took small knives in your hands and repeatedly humiliated and insulted those who came to target you. You even know where those Demon Race you killed came from, don’t you?”
Beatrice lunged fiercely and threw a punch at my face.
With no reason to block, I evaded and grabbed her collar, forcing her to her knees.
“Don’t lay a hand on my family!”
“Calm down, calm down. Like I said before, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“How can I believe you when you know everything!”
“Believe me.”
I grabbed Beatrice’s face with both hands and looked deeply into her eyes.
“Because that’s the only way you’ll survive.”
“Wh-what does that mean…?”
“Oh, and you’re making a huge mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Why do you think those people are your real family?”
Beatrice’s face turned pale and twisted.
“What… what are you saying?”
“Oh, you really don’t know? Or are you just pretending not to?”
From what I can tell, it’s definitely the latter.
“Beatrice St. Germain. A Magical Engineering expert of the Prasion Kingdom and daughter of St. Germain Baronette. Born in the frontier, and although a Baronette’s daughter, you’ve lived a long time as the eldest daughter of a noble house.”
“……”
“You believe that, don’t you? Am I right?”
“What… what are you trying to say?”
Listening to Beatrice’s trembling voice, I became certain.
This woman was not unaware of the discomfort and abnormality of her situation.
“You don’t have memories of back then, do you?”
“……!”
“You only know what you’ve been told. That your name is Beatrice St. Germain, daughter of a Baronette, born in the frontier, eldest daughter of a noble family. Right?”
“……”
“St. Germain Baronette didn’t want to announce that his daughter had amnesia to preserve the prestige of his noble status. So he disguised you as a bakery maiden from the frontier and declared that his daughter had died in an attack.”
All this information was secured by Ryuk before facing Beatrice.
To understand how she completely fell into ruin, began to despise humanity, and started to humiliate them.
To analyze her psychology deeply and find her weaknesses.
Of course, such an analysis was useless to me.
Unless the Demon King is killed, no matter how much analysis or prevention is done, humans like Beatrice who want to join the Demon Army will keep appearing forever.
We’ve fought the Demon King for a long time and had to always see beyond what we imagined.
“But you clung to them because you wanted their love. Running the bakery, you tried to regain their favor with luxurious desserts and contracts, hoping to become family again.”
“Stop…”
Beatrice’s gaze dimmed.
On the other hand, the questions I held about her surged up fiercely.
“Didn’t it seem strange? Even if the Baronette’s position wasn’t fully noble, as a Magical Engineering expert, he should be respected anywhere in the technologically advanced Prasion Kingdom. Knowing his daughter has amnesia shouldn’t have turned that respect into neglect.”
Yet, fearing neglect, he disguised her death and made her live as a bakery maiden.
Is that normal?
“Please… stop.”
I grabbed Beatrice’s face again as she tried to break free.
“Wait, that’s not all. St. Germain Baronette sent assassins to completely erase your existence when you tried to reconnect with him. And those assassins were turned back by you.”
The corpses scattered around here were evidence of that.
“But then, why on earth did the Baronette send demons, not humans, to assassinate his own daughter?”
“……”
One thing is certain: St. Germain Baronette is one of humanity’s traitors entangled with the Demon Army.
But that’s not the end.
“Shall we get to the root of the problem?”
“Please, please, don’t say that…”
I told the trembling Beatrice the harsh reality with a firm expression.
“Why on earth did you want to be loved by St. Germain Baronette? Even with amnesia?”
Not having memories means losing your past.
Losing your past means all the emotions you felt in those memories vanish too.
“Of course, as they say, even if the mind forgets, the body remembers. Memories don’t entirely disappear just because you lose them.”
In that sense, losing memories can be a blessing to some, and a curse to others.
“But not for you.”
None of that applies to Beatrice.
The one trying to take her life is St. Germain Baronette.
If they really had beautiful memories, it would be normal to part ways and cut ties for the sake of those feelings.
But this Baronette not only sends assassins but doesn’t even try to hide his connection with the Demon Army.
Since all the demons were slaughtered, it’s reasonable to assume he doesn’t even care if Beatrice finds out.
It’s as if he doesn’t mind if she discovers the truth.
And judging by Beatrice’s reaction, that behavior was the right call.
…If only I hadn’t interfered.
“The fierce longing for love you’re experiencing isn’t even the remnant of lost memories, nor your true desire. It’s an ‘injected emotion’ of some kind. Even if not injected, there must be another reason tied to it.”
Beatrice’s face turned pale as she silently listened.
“That’s nonsense. Injected emotion… Why would I—”
“Doubt is natural. But think about it. If they were your real family, wouldn’t they worry if their daughter with amnesia were in danger? Wouldn’t they fret over even a slight distraction causing her harm? That’s what real family is.”
Beatrice dropped her head low.
“But they cut ties with you over some petty Baronette’s pride, lied about your death, and are now sending demons to kill you. Even now, do you still want to protect them? It’s time to stop running from reality.”
“B-but they’re family! Blood family! No matter how much they rejected me, it’s undeniable that I’m family!”
Her eyes no longer shimmered with tears.
No longer did she smile purely like an ordinary bakery maiden.
Only a lonely, immature child desperately craving love remained.
I gently asked the whining child,
“Really?”
“……”
Her shoulders shook violently.
“Do you really think so?”
“……What are you trying to say?”
“You have no memories, so how can you be sure they’re your real family? Can you prove it?”
“Well…”
She couldn’t.
Naturally.
If you have no memories, how could you confidently say anything as proof?
“Then why have I held on so far…? This is all I have left…”
Beatrice’s pupils trembled intensely.
When reality begins to be denied, humans are driven to psychological limits.
…But somehow, does this feeling of discomfort go too far?
Anyway, I couldn’t leave her shaken and patted her shoulder.
“Beatrice. Pull yourself together. You can’t fall apart here. You’re not someone who should break now.”
Teeth grinding could be heard.
“After pushing me to the brink, now you say that…!”
“Do I have to say what I said earlier one more time before you understand?”
I gripped Beatrice’s chin and made her look directly into my eyes.
“I’m not here to harm you. I’m here to help.”
Beatrice’s pupils trembled.
“Why?”
At the obvious question, I smirked and replied,
“Because I want you.”
“…Huh?”
Beatrice made a dumbfounded expression.