Chapter 42: Jerni Houston

Theresa muttered in a panicked tone.

“De… mon Race?”

Judging by her reaction, it seemed this Butler hadn’t known for quite some time that he was a member of the Demon Race.

Well, it’s not surprising—most old Butlers like this have spent a lifetime serving a single Noble House, so it’s very common for them to never even consider the idea of betrayal.

“Don’t worry.”

But that doesn’t mean the Butler standing before us now is really a traitor.

“That thing isn’t the Butler you know, to begin with.”

“…What?”

“Hrmm.”

Maybe it was thanks to being stabbed by the Holy Sword, but the appearance of the old Butler peeled away like a shed skin, revealing the true form of the Demon Race hidden within.

“How did you figure it out?”

“It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with creatures like you.”

As I pulled out the Holy Sword, black blood spilled from the Demon Race’s body, staining the floor.

But judging from the demon’s expression, he looked remarkably unscathed, despite having been struck by the Holy Sword.

That meant he was likely of a higher rank than I expected.

Theresa’s face twisted red with anger as she drew her sword.

“Speak. Where is the real Butler?”

“Keh keh. You really think I’d just tell you if you asked like that?”

Without hesitation, I twisted the demon’s neck a full 180 degrees.

“Wh-what are you doing?! I’m still questioning him!”

“The bodies of the Demon Race are truly fascinating.”

Ignoring Theresa’s shocked outburst, I moved my hands.

I knew what she wanted, but I couldn’t afford to respond to every outburst if I wanted to save time.

“Unlike when they were human, Demon Race members gain strength from the Demon King and undergo changes in species. Their physical life functions become quite different from those of humans.”

Of course, I don’t know all the details myself.

It was just something Ryuk used to recite, almost like a ritual, before interrogating the Demon Race.

“With demons, you see, unless it’s a visible, direct wound, even a mortal blow isn’t truly fatal.”

To kill a member of the Demon Race, you must inflict a visible wound by slashing or stabbing them.

In other words, just twisting their neck 180 degrees or twisting their arms, like now, won’t kill them.

“If their bones break, or they get sick, or their blood vessels rupture, or their organs are crushed—as long as those wounds aren’t visible externally, they’ll heal even faster than humans and survive in the end.”

Deliberately, I grabbed the demon’s left arm, which he was pretending was limp, and twisted it backwards.

Crunch!

“Kuaaagh!”

Unable to endure any longer, the demon screamed, his neck still twisted.

“Who’s making such a ruck…us?”

“Shh!”

By now, even the attendants who’d been watching from afar, and the seasoned Knights of the Noble House who had noticed the commotion and come to protest, were all frozen in place after witnessing the scene.

Not my concern, so I ignored them and whispered to the demon.

“Don’t worry. I’ve spent my entire life perfecting the art of torturing scum like you. I know what you fear, what you’re weak against, and what you live for.”

“Huff, huff, hurrk.”

“Ssshhh~ There, there. Deep breaths.”

This time, I carefully laid his body down and twisted his leg.

Crack!

“Khhhhh?!”

His neck still twisted, the demon’s head was practically buried in the floor as he twitched and screamed.

“Hm, as expected of a demon—your skin is tough. That’s good. You might last quite a while.”

Confirming that the twisted leg could spin a full 360 degrees, I stood up and placed my foot on his still-healthy leg.

“Now, speak.”

“Huuh, huuh, th-the basement. Down below. The real Butler is there.”

Crunch!

“Kyaagh! I told you! I told you already, so why—!”

Ignoring his protest, I pressed harder on his thigh.

“Speak.”

“I did! What do you want me to say?”

“Everything you know.”

Grabbing the demon’s head, which had almost returned to normal, I twisted it another 90 degrees to set it back to 180.

Crunch!

“Gahhh! Cough, khhh!”

“I don’t ask questions.”

I pressed my weight down, increasing the pressure on the thigh beneath my foot.

“I promise. I won’t kill you. Not until you tell me everything you know.”

Maybe because it had been a while since I last interrogated a demon, I got a bit carried away.

In two hours of interrogation, I twisted the demon’s neck 17 times, his arms 34 times, his legs 27 times.

He told me stories about Jerni Houston 20 times, swore 17 times that he’d orchestrated Elena’s abduction, and said 44 times that the Butler was imprisoned in the basement.

And then…

“So, the Demon King was truly involved in all of this.”

He repeated 57 times that everything had been done under the ‘Demon King’s’ orders.

What those demons wanted was to seize the territory of Marquis Houston, the region that trained the Knights of the Kingdom of Lumin.

To do that, Jerni Houston had to fall from grace.

They poisoned her, intending to force her into collapse, then steal the Life Authority that would pass to her daughter.

As part of that plan, they built a secret Chimera Research Facility as a bluff.

The fortunate part was that Jerni Houston had noticed the demons’ tricks and instructed Theresa to tell no one about her condition, refusing to pass on her Life Authority to anyone, and had locked herself in her secret chamber.

However, the poisoning was real, and aside from a few people, all outsiders were strictly forbidden entry.

‘To make matters worse, Elena happened to discover the Chimera Research Facility, and when they tried to cover it up, they ended up summoning me.’

Talk about unlucky bastards.

Even if Elena had caught on, if they hadn’t tried to abduct her, she might not have realized the truth until their plan progressed further. But in their rush, they got caught.

No matter how inevitable it was that I’d catch them, they moved too quickly.

But that clearly meant only one thing.

‘A plan that didn’t matter if it failed.’

The Demon King never does anything without a reason.

Even if it looks like there’s no reason, even if it seems like a failed scheme, it’s never meaningless.

No doubt, the Demon King had anticipated this plan might fail and already set in motion another scheme to make up for it.

“Grghh.”

I stood up, leaving the demon’s body to scatter into ashes with its dying scream.

Then, turning to the group of seasoned Knights who’d gathered together, I asked,

“Who here has served the longest as a Knight? Raise your hand.”

The oldest-looking Knight raised his hand.

“Take me to Jerni Houston. The rest of you, clean up here, and if you find any of my companions moving about, bring them to wherever I am.”

For reference, Theresa had already gone with Beatrice to search for the Butler in the basement.

Murfin and Thrall had headed to the external prison within the Houston Marquisate, where Elena was being held, as revealed during the demon’s interrogation.

All that was left was to wake Jerni Houston and cross-check the current situation.

The incident that started with Elena’s abduction had ended up saving the Marquisate from the demons’ clutches, so I intended to squeeze every possible benefit out of Jerni Houston for this.

“Here it is.”

Guided by the Knight, I soon stood before a grand door that, at a glance, screamed, ‘the Lord lives here.’

The problem was that the door was plastered with all sorts of Anti-Intruder Magic and Divine Magic, meant to keep out demons.

“My Lady has ordered that no one be allowed in unless she breaks the spells herself. With all these Anti-Intruder Magics and the Divine Magic strengthening the door, nobody in the House but My Lady herself could open it.”

Perhaps having witnessed me interrogate a demon for two hours, the Knight was extremely polite.

Still, the faint irritation in his eyes suggested he thought I was causing trouble because the Lord refused to come out.

Not my problem. I ignored him and thrust the Holy Sword into the door.

Crackle!

The Anti-Intruder Magic melted away at the touch of the Holy Sword, the Divine Magic unable to withstand my power and pierced clean through. The Knight beside me gawked in disbelief.

“How is it breaking so easily…?”

Thud!

Leaving the Knight with his doubts, I kicked open the door and walked inside.

A large bed fit for two, simple yet elegant furnishings.

By the bed, a neatly arranged sword and women’s armor.

I approached the woman lying atop the bed, studied the situation, and asked the following Knight,

“When did Jerni Houston collapse?”

“Two months ago.”

“So she’s been holed up in here since then?”

“Yes. At first, the attendants brought her food and water while she recovered, but some time ago she cast all sorts of magical spells on the door and stopped eating or drinking almost entirely.”

“How long has it been since then?”

“About a week.”

“…Hmm.”

As I only got my reports from Elena, I didn’t know how much time she’d spent gathering and sorting information, but considering it takes about a week to travel between Houston territory and the capital, it’s likely Jerni Houston began isolating herself around the time Elena started consolidating her information.

If that’s true, Jerni Houston must have sensed that Elena had found out about the Chimera Research Facility and took these precautions.

Which also means Jerni Houston already knew about the facility from the start.

‘Just what is going on here?’

The demons claimed it was built as a bluff.

But Jerni Houston had already known.

That means…

‘Could it be, this woman knew from the very beginning that demons had infiltrated her territory?’

Looks like I’ll have to wake her and ask.

I raised the hand holding the Holy Sword.

“Jerni Houston.”

Without hesitation, I plunged the Holy Sword into Jerni Houston’s chest.

“Think of the bed as the price for your life.”

Crunch!

The Holy Sword pierced her body, running straight through the bed.

At that moment, her eyes snapped open.

“Gghk?!”

The Knight cried out in horror.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“What do you think? Healing her.”

The Knight’s face twisted as he reached for his sword.

“That’s nonsense…!”

“Quiet down. You’re going to start a sword fight in the Lord’s chamber?”

“You’re the one who started it!”

Then, a clear voice cut between me and the Knight.

“What’s with all the racket?”

I glanced over to see Jerni Houston, eyes wide open.

“M-my Lady! Are you alright?!”

As the Knight rushed to her side in shock, Jerni Houston raised her hand.

“I am fine.”

She grimaced at the pain of her pierced chest, but there was no confusion or panic in her eyes.

“Sir Neville. I’ll hear your report later. Leave us.”

“M-my Lady, but…”

“I know this one’s face.”

Jerni Houston turned her gaze to me.

“The youth who beheaded the 1st Order’s captain at the royal court. I know who you are. Leave us.”

Sir Neville’s eyes widened again, then he bowed his head.

“As you wish.”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sir Neville quietly left the room and closed the door.

I clicked my tongue, pulling the Holy Sword out of Jerni Houston’s heart.

“So you pretended to be taken out by the demons?”

If she had really been poisoned, her entire body would be flush with healing energy, but the distribution of power was far weaker than expected.

Jerni Houston’s lips twitched into a faint smile.

“I knew that, if I did this, you would come.”