Shock

“Are you okay now?”

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

Despite saying she was fine, the area around her eyes was still bright red. I decided to pretend not to notice.

Even if they’d been separated for a long time, she’d just found her beloved father’s corpse from childhood.

Times like these call for a good cry.

“…”

“What’s wrong, Anya?”

“…Nothing. Just something’s been bothering me.”

“What a coincidence. Seems like Leo’s got something on his mind too.”

Thud, thud.

Leo, who was likely second only to Eileen in having the most connections to the Sword Saint, approached Orca.

No – he approached Haze who was borrowing Orca’s body.

“I have something to ask.”

“Ask away. Hee, feels good…”

If other demons saw Haze like this, they’d think she’d gone mad.

Helping others while making such a blissful face.

Even with their contract, is it really okay for a demon to be this corrupted?

Probably…?

“You said burning is the way to stop the curse from spreading.”

“That’s right.”

“Did the cursed Sword Saint know that?”

“Well, normally there’d be no way to know. You might realize you’re cursed, but you have to experience it to know what kind.”

“I see.”

“That’s what’s interesting about this human. How did he know the curse uses blood as a medium? With curses like this, you either kill your family with your own hands and scream in agony, or fail to kill them and watch the whole village die.”

Ah. Leo’s expression darkened.

…Seems he’s realized it.

Though it’s never explained in the game, there’s one theory widely accepted among players…

“One more question.”

“Mhm, ask anything. Feels nice…”

“Can the curse infect others even if they’re not family?”

“Yes.”

“…As I thought.”

“Nothing spreads curses easier than medium-based ones. Especially with something uncertain like blood.”

A curse transmitted through blood means it tracks and attaches to specific genetic markers.

…The problem is, there’s no way to trace where human bloodlines begin and end.

This isn’t about all humans descending from a common ancestor.

Some nameless person living far away could share a distant ancestor from generations back. That kind of thing.

“Um, Teacher Ophelia. What is Leo talking about…?”

“Well, you see… Leo met the Sword Saint when he was young.”

“I’ve heard. That armor he always wears was given by him, right?”

“Yes. But the day Leo met the Sword Saint was the same day his village burned down in an incident.”

“Wait, you don’t mean…”

“Your guess is probably correct.”

How did the Sword Saint realize his curse?

Why did he give part of his artifact to a child he’d never met?

Players speculated about unexplained story points.

What if the Sword Saint was responsible for Leo’s village burning down?

“The last day the suddenly disappeared Sword Saint was seen coincided with Leo’s entire village burning down. You could call it coincidence, but isn’t that suspicious?”

“Because of my father… Leo’s village…?”

“Who knows? It’s just speculation – no guarantee it’s true. No reason for Eileen to feel indebted… Oh, she’s gone.”

Eileen, who’d been crying moments ago, now pale-faced, ran to Leo.

…Seeing her bowing her head, she was probably apologizing out of guilt.

I wanted to tell her it wasn’t necessary.

“When it’s not even her fault. Seems she really did love her father. Right, Anya?”

“What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…”

“…Anya?”

“…Hah! Yes, that, that’s right.”

And there was another theory.

Who cursed the Sword Saint? Are they alive? Dead?

The Sword Saint is creator-confirmed to be equal to Principal Veronica as the strongest in the worldview. Not something a demon could easily touch.

But players thought: He was cursed during the war, right?

Coincidentally, there was one particularly sneaky, vile-tempered demon during the war.

Who was it?

“When on earth did he… Ugh…”

Well, no point hiding it.

The demon possessing Anastasia’s father – who hit the jackpot becoming the Pope – had exactly that personality.

Despite that, he moves freely through the holy power-filled Papal Court, showing his strength.

At that level, cursing the Sword Saint would be possible.

“Teacher. Can you call everyone here?”

“I don’t mind, but why?”

“…I think I need to do something I can’t handle alone.”

Had she realized the mastermind behind her father’s death and Leo’s village massacre was the demon inside her own father?

Anastasia’s expression was frozen stiff.

***

“Huh? Wait, what? Did I mishear?”

“No. You heard correctly.”

“…Seriously?”

Eileen’s father, the Sword Saint, was dead.

Before they could recover from that shock, students were hit with another shocking truth.

“The Pope’s body was taken over by a demon long ago?!”

“Yes. Roughly… about a year before the war started.”

“Over ten years ago! I just thought he was a senile old man…”

Students reacted differently.

Stella was shocked that the war started because of one demon, finally understanding why Anastasia wanted to overthrow the Church.

Orca and Haze laughed at the Church. The leader of the group persecuting demon possessors was a demon possessor himself. How contradictory.

“I’m truly sorry to Miss Eileen and Mr. Leo. …I know it’s shameless to ask, but I hope you’ll lend me your strength.”

Their expressions looked complicated.

The enemy of their family and village. Hidden by the Church’s spiritual leader, the Watcher.

In the game world, they’d have drawn swords without hesitation, but since I’d made the students spend time together, they’d grown somewhat close.

A person they could comfortably call a friend had indirectly helped with such things.

They must feel awkward about how to react.

“…I’ll help.”

“Leo…?”

“Honestly, it was shocking. Hearing my benefactor might not actually be one, watching a friend I thought I knew cry and apologize for her parents’ mistakes…”

“I didn’t cry…”

“Then why wipe your tears?”

Orca chuckled as if telling her not to lie with those puffy eyes.

“It’d be a lie to say I don’t resent it. I thought it was just an accident, but it wasn’t.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Sorry…”

“But it’s okay. I swore to become a knight. Knights help the weak and punish evil.”

Leo stood up with a refreshing smile.

Though the smallest in stature among them, in that moment he seemed taller than anyone present.

“I don’t want to stand still hating the past. If executing the Pope can save people, that’s what we should do. And you did save my life!”

“…Hoh.”

Ah, Stella’s eyes sharpened…

The gaze of someone scouting talent.

For Stella who wouldn’t even remember names at first to look at him like this, he’s really grown.

I felt moved.

“Oh right. Eileen. I’ll return this.”

Having declared he’d help with anything, Leo suddenly remembered and hurriedly took off the armor he wore, bringing it to Eileen.

“No, you keep it. It’s yours.”

“Huh? But it’s your father’s memento.”

“Forget it. What memento… Your hands are shaking from not wanting to give it back. You take it. That armor dad’s wearing too. I’m giving it. That settles it.”

“A-are you sure?”

“This one memento is enough for me.”

Saying this, Eileen hugged a small notebook she’d somehow retrieved.

“That is…?”

“A diary. Found it in the corner.”

“…Hope it has good things written.”

“Hmph. Good things? Just embarrassing stuff.”

Eileen blushed as if embarrassed, looking quite awkward.

Did she catch Orca’s grumbling habit after hanging out together…?

“I’ll help too. Can’t just leave after learning who did this.”

“…I’m sorry. And thank you.”

“Enough. So? What’s the plan?”

“Me! I have a good idea!”

“…A good idea?”

“Yes! When in trouble, find Teacher Ophelia!”

Ta-da!

I deliberately acted cheeky to lighten the mood, raising my voice.

…The lack of response made it slightly awkward.

Though intentional, the embarrassment didn’t fade, making my face red.

“The way to bring down those above is easier than you think!”

“…Easy?”

“Yes. We just need to make his position untenable.”

“That can’t possibly be easy…”

“It is. If Anastasia wills it.”

Originally, the Pope holds the highest authority in the Church.

But now the Pope’s authority has hit rock bottom, while the Watcher’s has soared while cleaning up his messes.

In this situation, what if the Watcher exposes the Pope’s unspeakable secret?

“Let’s start a riot.”

I smiled brightly while looking at Anastasia.