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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“You guys have some very interesting ideas, don’t you?”
The demon said this with a laugh.
When we told her we were going to kill the pig and escape without the priestess noticing, she furrowed her brow slightly.
The subtle change in her expression, like she was looking at a child who had just declared they wanted to be a dragon when they grew up, gave me a strange feeling.
Isabelle checked outside once more, then asked the demon,
“So, it won’t work?”
“Run away after killing the homeowner while the priestess is preparing for an exorcism? She’ll be furious and determined to catch you. Letting a demon escape isn’t something she can just brush off.”
That meant escape was impossible.
I said,
“Then let’s just kill them both. I don’t like either of them. Even a priestess can’t use divine power on humans, can she?”
“Oh my, that’s a very interesting idea too.”
The demon said this and burst into laughter.
As I had noticed before, this demon seemed to have a very positive outlook on life.
To be so relaxed even with the priestess about to arrive… I almost envied her strength and composure.
“But it’s only interesting, not practical. First of all, you can’t beat her. Because…”
“Wh-what if I stab her from behind…?”
“Would you mind not interrupting? I’m talking.”
Elena cautiously raised her hand to offer her opinion.
The demon tilted her head slightly, spoke to Elena, then smiled again.
She unfolded the paper with the exorcism circle that Isabelle had been holding and said,
“First, look at this circle. It looks pretty complicated, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
We looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
We knew nothing about exorcism circles, but even at a glance, this one seemed very complex.
It required a significant number of items and took up the entire first-floor lobby.
It seemed excessive for exorcising a small demon like me.
“This circle is powerful, but it’s also difficult to activate. Having the people in the mansion prepare it means she’s planning to activate it alone. Only someone with considerable skill can activate a circle of this magnitude on their own.”
“Is… is it that impressive?”
The demon pointed at me and Elena alternately.
“She can shoot beams from her fingers and kill you instantly, and a single slap from her could dislocate your jaw. Someone of her caliber is someone even well-known demons would hesitate to provoke. The moment she dies, the temple will conduct a thorough search of the area. Honestly, I don’t know why she’s here in the countryside. It’s strange that she’s going to all this trouble for just you. Was she desperate for a promotion?”
Although the demon was speaking with a smile, her words offered no hope.
It was impossible to defeat her physically, and even if we escaped, we would be caught.
Was my future really going to be ruined because of some priestess who happened to show up in the countryside?
“…Is there really no way?”
I looked at the demon with pleading eyes.
She continued to smile brightly at me, and as soon as my expression changed, she pulled me into a hug, like she was petting a puppy.
Isabelle and Elena flinched and stiffened.
“Oh my, don’t make such a pitiful face. Do you think I came here to tease you? Of course I came to save you. And to teach you a few things.”
“Teach me?”
The demon waved the paper with the circle drawn on it.
“Even priestesses who can activate large circles like this alone usually have a trusted assistant. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
The demon flipped the paper over and said,
“Sacred rituals using divine symbols and various artifacts can be reversed. If she activates it alone and another demon suddenly appears and reverses the circle, it could cause a major disaster. They usually don’t activate circles alone. But she’s preparing the circle by herself, thinking there’s only one little demon like you? And she’s even entrusted the preparations to the people in the mansion, thinking they’d be terrified if they knew they were dealing with a demon? She must be really desperate.”
The demon said this and burst into laughter.
While we stared at her blankly, she laughed for a while, as if performing a comedic act, then suddenly stopped and looked us over.
Isabelle, Elena, and I froze, straightening our postures under her gaze.
The demon said,
“Listen carefully. This is very simple. You want to screw over this priestess who came to ruin your lives, right? If you just do as I say, we can crush this priestess, and you won’t have to run away.”
We nodded.
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Ehrnlich Lumia.
In her hand, she held a large crucifix, and in her pocket, she carried the amulet needed to complete the ritual.
Even now, she felt a cold sweat just thinking about how she had managed to deceive the other priests and get these items.
[Priestess, why are you taking that crucifix? Are you performing an exorcism?]
[Yes. Mr. Carlson asked me to show him an exorcism ritual. I’m on my way to give him a demonstration.]
[Ah, then I’ll go with you.]
[Unfortunately, he asked me to come alone. Perhaps we can go together next time.]
How many times had she had this conversation?
It was as if the priests had honey smeared all over this mansion; every priest she encountered wanted to co-officiate the exorcism ritual with her.
But Lumia refused all offers of assistance.
The demon in this mansion was insignificant, pathetically weak.
He was already subdued, and the preparations for the exorcism circle were complete.
Ordinary people wouldn’t know, but anyone who served as a priest could deduce how dangerous a demon was.
It would be troublesome if she brought another local priest along and they discovered that the demon was nothing special.
So Lumia knocked on the mansion door alone.
The maid opened the door, and the demon was tied up in the center of the circle.
He was wriggling, trying to escape, but the rope was especially effective against demons, making it impossible for him to break free on his own.
“You could have left him in the attic.”
Lumia said this to Elena.
Elena smiled and shook her head.
Looking around, she saw Carlson scratching his head as he came down from the second floor, and Isabelle sitting on the sofa on the first floor.
Elena said,
“We wanted to get rid of the demon quickly, so we took the liberty.”
“Demons use sweet words to deceive people. Next time something like this happens, please follow the priest’s instructions.”
Lumia scanned them with her eyes, but she couldn’t sense anything unusual about the two women.
Just in case, she held out her hand and released a burst of divine power.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa! You fucking bitch!”
The demon on the floor writhed like a frog struck by a stone, convulsing violently.
Carlson and the two women simply blinked, unaffected.
Carlson said to the writhing demon,
“Serves you right, demon bastard! Who do you think you are messing with?!”
“And who are you, you fucking son of a bitch?! A pathetic loser who got kicked out for taking bribes! A moron who’s too stupid to even take bribes properly!”
“You son of a bitch…!”
Lumia grabbed Carlson, who was about to kick the demon, and pushed him back.
She had only pushed him lightly, but he flew backward and landed on his backside.
“Oof!”
“Please don’t provoke the demon. He’s about to be shattered into pieces, his very soul obliterated. God, may you extend your hand even to the darkest souls.”
Lumia said this, making the sign of the cross over her chest. She handed the crucifix she was holding to Elena and pointed to the wall directly in front of her.
“Hang it on that wall. You hammered in the nail, right?”
“Yes.”
Elena hung the crucifix as instructed.
Meanwhile, Lumia wiped the sweat from her palms on her clothes and double-checked the diagram and the circle.
Candlesticks on the left, silver objects on the right.
Wooden pillars on both sides as catalysts, and the crucifix behind the demon.
The arrangement of the items on the circle was slightly askew, perhaps because it had been set up by amateurs, but the slight deviation seemed acceptable.
Lumia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
This was the first time she had manipulated an exorcism like this.
It was also the first time she had operated a circle of this magnitude alone.
But she was confident.
The items were all in place, and the crucifix was hanging on the wall.
Once she recited the incantation and channeled her power, the circle would activate, cleanly incinerating the demon in the center.
Lumia spoke,
“Demon, any last words?”
“Are you a virgin?”
Lumia’s face momentarily contorted before returning to normal.
Carlson, who had been looking at her with curiosity, quickly averted his gaze when she looked at him.
Elena and Isabelle’s expressions changed subtly.
“…I will proceed with the ritual.”
A demon like this didn’t even deserve a prayer.
Lumia began the ritual.
As she placed the amulet on the floor, a bright white light spread throughout the circle.
The light, amplified by the silver objects, flowed towards the crucifix.
Lumia faced the demon, closed her eyes, and began chanting the incantation.
“Hahahahaha!”
And then, she heard the demon’s laughter.
“Wh-what are you doing?! Isabelle! What are you doing?!”
She also heard Carlson’s panicked voice.
Lumia stopped chanting and opened her eyes.
Carlson was scrambling to his feet and running.
Elena was blocking his path.
Carlson, weakened from having his life force drained, couldn’t push past Elena and was caught.
Lumia turned her head.
Isabelle was holding the crucifix, looking at her.
Lumia, seeing this, cried out in alarm,
“No! Stop! What are you doing?!”
“What am I doing?”
Isabelle pulled out the crucifix.
The white light emanating from the crucifix began to fade.
Lumia couldn’t move from the circle.
If she moved, the circle would break, and she would suffer the consequences.
The larger the circle, the greater the pain that would wrack her body.
So Lumia tried to reason with Isabelle.
A cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
“Calm down! You mustn’t do this! Are you protecting the demon? It’s not too late. Stop!”
“I’m not protecting the demon.”
Isabelle listened to her words, then slowly began to lower the crucifix.
Lumia sighed in relief.
Isabelle, looking at Lumia with sad eyes, raised the crucifix again and said,
“I’m destroying the demon.”
Isabelle flipped the crucifix and plunged it into the floor, upside down.
“N-no…!”
Lumia reached out, trying to run forward.
In that brief moment, time seemed to stop for Lumia.
Everything around her moved in slow motion.
Why hadn’t she noticed?
The artifacts, which she had thought were clumsily placed, were angled towards the demon.
A sinister energy was emanating from the inverted crucifix.
The demon, as if he had never been bound, was untying himself and standing up.
The reversal of the exorcism circle.
Twisting the ritual, inverting the crucifix to create an unholy symbol.
The reversal, completed by the unholy symbol, strengthened the demon and weakened the priestess’s power.
“Ah…”
Lumia couldn’t move forward. She collapsed to her knees.
Her strength drained away, and she could barely breathe.
A purple arm wrapped around her neck.
She heard the demon’s whisper.
“Gotcha.”
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