episode_0059

Demon and Angel

“…..That pattern…. It’s the symbol of the Demon Extermination Squad…”

“What? But why is a weapon with that symbol here?”

“….For now, let’s not ask about this….”

If it were just Aria and me here, it might be different, but Cecilia, who has a tragic past because of angels, is also present. I took Aria’s hand and headed to Estur’s room. But the pattern on that glaive still wouldn’t leave my mind. Even I, who had indirectly experienced Cecilia’s past memories, felt a chill when I saw that pattern… As we entered the room, I saw Estur and Cecilia talking and laughing.

“Ahahahah! So what happened?”

“Ah… I dozed off for a moment during a mission. But when I came to, everyone else was in a similar state to me. Still, another captain was there, so the mission was cleanly resolved. What could I do? I hadn’t slept for three days…”

“Wow… that’s really big… Huh? Zeke! Estur was just telling me about what happened during his mission, you know? Oh, but did you finish cleaning up?”

“Hehehe… Don’t pretend to be close with Zeke-nim, Cecilia….”

As Aria glared at Cecilia from behind me and gripped her staff tightly, Cecilia shrieked in terror.

“Aaaaargh! Now I can’t even talk to him?!”

“…Couldn’t you at least let that slide…?”

“No. We made a promise, didn’t we?”

“We didn’t promise that far!!”

“Oh? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be noticed? And now you’re trying to break your promise?”

“You’re just trying to ostracize me!! Aaaargh!!”

As Aria continued to torment her mentally, Cecilia began to scream again. At that, Estur, seeing Aria constantly pressuring Cecilia, suddenly burst into laughter. Is that funny…?

“Estur, you… is that funny?”

“Ah… my bad. It just reminded me of a similar scene. What’s the story between you and Cecilia, Zeke?”

“Uh… yes.”

“I figured…. Still, Aria is on the good side. In a place called Modern Time in the Caron Dimension, there was even a case where someone offered their soul to evil just to monopolize a man. So I think Aria is on the good side.”

“….Are you serious about that?”

“…..Of course, I haven’t had that experience myself. Hahahahaha!”

….This person… it seems like their mind is wandering, perhaps because of their serious injuries… Seeing Estur laugh heartily, I sighed and stopped Aria and Cecilia.

“Alright, alright… that’s enough for now. We can talk about it later.”

“….Hmph. Since Zeke-nim says so, I suppose there’s no choice. But… there won’t be a second time..!!”

‘Someone save me…’

“Phew… Estur, may I continue with my questions?”

“Hmm? You have more questions?”

“Yes. As I was organizing what you just told me, more questions came to mind.”

“That’s understandable. Ask as much as you like, Zeke.”

“Yes…. Then, that… H.S.A. Had they ever discovered this Crentid World?”

“That’s right. As we expanded our dimensional exploration range, we discovered this place, and my superior, Captain Revo, personally investigated it. By chance, he defeated a creature that was wreaking havoc. That was Alraune, the World Tree.”

“….But why aren’t extraterrestrials often seen here? Of course, including you, I’ve met two extraterrestrials, but…”

“That’s because this isn’t a managed dimension. I told you earlier, didn’t I? That there are dimensions that naturally don’t get destroyed. We’re an organization that manages or investigates such dimensions. Well… we’re extinct now, though.”

“That’s… wait… what did you say…?”

When the story of H.S.A.’s destruction suddenly came up, everyone except Merzel was greatly flustered. What…? A powerful organization that could manage dimensions was destroyed? As we all stared in bewilderment at the unexpected revelation, Estur sighed and spoke.

“Some crazy Kaju attacked H.S.A., and unfortunately, another Kaju had gone berserk previously, nearly annihilating H.S.A. by half. With everything still unrecovered, H.S.A. headquarters was miserably destroyed when it was attacked. I saw it clearly with my own eyes before I fell here, so I know.”

“Then you have nowhere to go back to…”

“Well… I can only hope that there are still living comrades. Well… seeing that this place wasn’t attacked by that Kaju, it’s certain that the remaining H.S.A. soldiers defeated that Kaju… Haa… I hope everything is intact when I return to headquarters…”

“I hope so too, Estur.”

“Thanks… Oh! You two can also ask me questions without hesitation if there’s anything you’re curious about.”

Estur said, pointing at Aria and Cecilia. Ah, it’s true I’ve been the only one asking many questions so far. When I turned to my side, Aria smiled brightly, wrapped her arms around me, and said,

“You don’t need to worry about me, Zeke-nim. If Zeke-nim’s curiosity is satisfied, it brings happiness to this Aria too.”

“I heard a lot of Estur’s stories earlier, so I’m fine. Hmm…. Still, there is something I’m curious about…”

“I’ve asked pretty much everything, so it seems it’s your turn.”

“Alright. Estur. Can you tell me about the angels and demons from other worlds?”

At Cecilia’s question, I was greatly flustered inwardly. But I soon understood Cecilia’s feelings and watched her with a pitiful expression. Of course… she would be curious about the stories of angels and demons from other worlds. After all, Cecilia is a demon.

“Hmm…. Angels and demons, huh…. You’ll have to discard all your common knowledge for this, won’t you? Are you sure? It might be a bit blasphemous for you humans to hear… but what can I do when it’s the truth…”

“It doesn’t matter. Tell me.”

“Ah… I’ll have to tell you what the Kaju War is first… Starting from what I said earlier about the Neo Kaju being killed by the Kajus… after killing them, the Kajus began to live an incredibly arrogant life. You know… treating lower races like livestock and such.”

“Is that what beings called gods should do? Hehehe… I really think I did well to only keep Zeke-nim in my heart…!!”

“That’s how it was in ancient times..”

As Aria clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and smiled, I sighed, stroking her head. Estur then smiled and continued his explanation.

“Zeke is right. That’s what the ancient Kajus were like. In short, they were trash. However, there were also Kajus who possessed altruistic justice. The war they and their allies fought was the Kaju War, and they ultimately succeeded in driving out all the vile Kajus. Well… there were many problems afterward… and there was also the worst legacy left by the vile hostile Kajus.”

“A legacy? What is it?”

“….The truth about angels and demons, I guess…. Did you know? Demons were originally good, and it was actually angels who massacred them?”

“….? W-wait, Estur…. What did you just say…?”

….What is this story now? So… this was a story that applied to all dimensions? Not just the Crentid World? Cecilia, too, seemed bewildered, staring blankly at Estur.

“Haa… well, you see… the former Kaju of Light who managed the angels was on the hostile side. The Archangels, or whatever they were called, who assisted the former Kaju of Light, also had similar personalities. Conversely, the Kaju of Darkness who managed the demons wasn’t on either side. Rather, the former Kaju of Darkness was on the benevolent side, possessing an altruistic nature.”

“W-wait… what does all that mean…? Managing demons….?”

“To be precise, it wasn’t management. The former Kaju of Darkness simply urged the demons not to harm other beings and then gave them freedom. However, after the former Kaju of Darkness died, the former Kaju of Light seized that moment. They wanted to erase demons, who they viewed as abhorrent, from the world. Furthermore, they needed sacrifices to elevate themselves. So… what do you think they did after the Kaju of Darkness died?”

“….They killed all the demons?”

“Correct. Perhaps around 2,000 years in this dimension’s time? It would be about that. But they couldn’t kill them all. The Kaju War ended. So a new Kaju of Light tried to rectify this wrong. But a huge variable emerged.”

“A variable?”

“In this vast world, angels had already prospered to the point where the truth couldn’t be fully revealed. The new Kaju of Light tirelessly searched day and night to find them, as they had spread even to undiscovered dimensions…. But their numbers were too vast for that.”

“….Then… is this also one of those dimensions…?”

“…..The Archangel, Erzel or Arjel or whatever they were called, already knew the truth, and after the new Kaju of Light, who was truly enraged by it, personally purged her, there are no longer any angels in this place… that’s what I heard.”

“Erzel died…?”

At the news that Erzel was already dead, Cecilia’s hands began to tremble, and she stared blankly at the floor, dumbfounded. The truth about angels and demons that Estur spoke of…. It’s certainly complicated, but then…

“Estur, then what are monsters?”

“Ah… after the Kaju War, a race almost identical in appearance to demons, called ‘Bodychers’ or ‘Lugra’, was discovered. They are the ones who only commit evil deeds, making people mistakenly believe that demons are evil until now. Furthermore, those guys… are going around boasting that they are demons to pin all the blame on real demons. Anyway, monsters are creatures spread by Lugra. Those who are corrupted by Lugra’s aura. The ones in this world are also of that type. So, after the Kaju War, a new Kaju of Darkness has been sending the surviving demon race to a safe demon realm. Even now.”

So… the demons ended up being more misunderstood because of a demon-like race called Lugra… Hearing the story of angels and demons, as complex as dimensions themselves, made me feel dizzy. In any case, it’s just like how mistakes happened in ancient times with the elves and humans of Crentid World. Realizing that, I put my hand on my head and sighed.

“Haaah… it’s complicated…”

“Zeke-nim, are you alright? Shall I listen and record instead?”

“I’m fine. It’ll be all the same anyway. But aren’t you dizzy at all?”

“No. I think I could explain it from beginning to end…”

“What…? You can explain this complicated story? Come on… give it a try, Aria.”

“Since Zeke-nim wishes it, hehehe…. So….”

Aria opened her mouth and began to recount everything Estur had explained so far. But I didn’t believe Aria. Honestly, how could anyone summarize such a difficult story all at once…? Yet, as Aria continued to explain, I became a little flustered. And Estur and Merzel also grew greatly perplexed as Aria effortlessly explained almost everything Estur had said. What the. How does she understand all of this?

“That’s all! How was it?”

“….Estur, is all that correct?”

“Uh… it’s all correct… I couldn’t even understand it for about half a year… How can she explain it so effortlessly…?”

…..As Aria continued to surpass me in everything, I sometimes doubted what all my struggles had been for. Of course, it’s still like that now. What on earth was she doing in Esrad…? Oh, wait. I forgot.

“Hey, Cecilia. Are you alright?”

“….Yeah…. I’m just a bit shocked…”

Cecilia said she was fine, but she was still staring blankly downwards, seemingly still in great shock. Well… since it’s something that happened not just in Crentid World but across the entire world… But… now that it’s like this, I also feel a surge of anger. Because…

“…..Estur.”

“Why?”

“You said there are no angels here, right?”

“That’s right…”

“….So that’s how it is…. Then… Merzel, you. I have something I’d like to ask you.”

“Hmm…? Are you talking to me?”

When I suddenly said I had something to ask, Merzel tilted her head and pointed to herself. Yes… there is something I’m curious about. If the new God of Light came here and Erzel received his judgment…. Then you… I took out Trahan and unleashed demonic energy from it. At that, Estur was greatly bewildered, then stood up and shouted at me.

“You…. you?! That… that couldn’t be…!!”

“This is demonic energy. Merzel, you asked me last time where I got this, didn’t you? I experienced the memories of a demon before. It wasn’t a Lugra. It was a true demon living in the Ogposlia region of the Crentid World.”

“What did you say…?”

“I learned how to use this energy from that demon’s memories. But… I thought it was strange. I expected demonic energy to require an evil heart, but it turns out it was just energy that reacted to strong thoughts. More importantly… how do you know about this energy?”

“Of course I know, don’t I? As the caretaker and nun who guards this place… did you think I wouldn’t be able to distinguish this kind of energy…?”

“Furthermore, you didn’t use honorifics for Prosh, the old man, did you? If you’re human, you seem to be about my age… or perhaps three years older, but you’re just calling Prosh, who can live for over 100 years. Nuns almost never do that, do they?”

“….That’s absurd. I could be that kind of nun, couldn’t I?”

As Merzel answered my question without any change in expression, I sighed and put Trahan down. Cecilia then looked at me with bewildered eyes, and Estur also stared at me, dumbfounded. And Aria…

“You are truly rude. I haven’t liked you since earlier….”

“Aria, please. Leave this to me. I want to handle it.”

“….Ugh… there won’t be a next time for that!”

As Aria puffed out her cheeks and turned her head, I subtly smiled and took Aria’s hand. Then I glared at Merzel again and said,

“I saw your glaive.”

“What about it?”

“That abominable pattern… You haven’t erased it until now?”

“….!! Y-you… that pattern, what it is… Ah…!!”

Merzel remembered my words about seeing a demon’s memories and became greatly agitated for the first time. Cecilia then grew very flustered, stood up, and stared blankly at Merzel, while Estur sighed as if the ground would collapse.

“….Estur, you knew, didn’t you?”

“Haaah… of course. I knew everything except for that energy of yours.”

“….Merzel, who are you? Are you human?”

“…..Ugh….”

At my question, Merzel suddenly made a pained expression and clutched her head with both hands. Then she groaned and began to tremble, her head bowed. Uh…. Th-this wasn’t the reaction I wanted…? As Merzel suddenly displayed a painful reaction, I, instead, became even more flustered.

“Ugh…. Aah…. Uuugh….”

“Zeke-nim… perhaps instead of me, a curse…”

“That can’t be… Merzel?”

“Y-you… you’re right… I…. I am not human… Ugh… Uuh… I… I am…. an angel… born and raised… in this Crentid World….”

As Merzel answered me, pleading with pain, Aria and I watched Merzel, who couldn’t lift her head, without surprise. However, Cecilia, who had known nothing, sank to the spot and stared blankly at Merzel, and Estur sighed and sat in a chair.