episode_0118

“I don’t know what to do. Looking at the situation, it might be difficult to operate a demon shelter in the underground waterway now.”

Algot bit his lower lip, speaking anxiously.

In the kingdom, demons were treated almost like monsters, so they had no choice but to establish their base in the underground waterway, a place of darkness and neglect that had been left untouched by the kingdom for a long time.

The underground waterway was considered safe due to its massive scale and lack of interference from the kingdom.

“We’ve had several crackdowns before, but why now…?”

“Um…”

“Mirabel said it seems dangerous to leave the demon shelter as it is.”

Of course, it would be dangerous.

If the goal was simply to arrest criminals, they could hide well, but if they were planning to eradicate the entire underground waterway, extreme methods might be used.

As the narration mentioned, if the operation allowed for the slaughter of anyone involved without consequences, there was a possibility of ruthless actions that didn’t spare innocent victims. The entrance to the underground waterway could be blocked, set on fire, or destroyed at will, unleashing a hellish scene of destruction.

However, no matter how much the goal was to clean up the criminal elements, wasn’t the kingdom being too aggressive?

The slums and the underground waterway were indeed places where unsavory characters gathered to engage in illegal activities.

But that didn’t mean it was okay to kill everyone there without question.

“According to Yunoa’s thoughts, the kingdom’s actions were morally unacceptable.

But the slums and the underground waterway were a stain on the capital.

Efforts had been made to clean up the stain in conventional ways, but it proved ineffective.

Therefore, the kingdom planned this massacre as a sacrifice for the greater good.”

The narration now openly used the term ‘massacre’ to describe the kingdom’s plan.

Well, setting aside ethics and morals, if one didn’t discriminate means and methods, it was the most convenient and quickest way.

“…We can’t just sit still. We need to close the demon shelter before things get serious.”

Algot said with a pained expression.

“What about the demons there?”

“They’ll have to be relocated.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t know. In the worst case, we might have to send them outside the kingdom.”

It was certain that it would be difficult to continue operating the demon shelter in the underground waterway.

But without a clear alternative, they were in a difficult situation.

They needed a safe place that wouldn’t attract attention.

While they could create a new place, time was running out.

Moving the demons out of the demon shelter secretly was a big task, and if they were discovered while protecting them in an unverified location, it would be irreversible.

Thud.

Suddenly, Mariel burst into the office, opening the door.

“Hmm! I understand the situation well! This Mariel! I can’t pretend not to know about such things!”

“Mariel? I heard your energy was drained from magical experiments, are you okay physically?”

“Hehehe… I just took a short break. Great experiments always come with risks!”

Mariel’s entrance slightly eased the heavy atmosphere in the office.

Algot narrowed his eyes and looked at Mariel, speaking.

“Mariel, this is not a joking matter.”

“Hmm! It’s not a joke! Do you know where I live?”

Mariel suddenly asked a question that everyone knew the answer to.

“Well, it’s the Bellafork Mansion.”

“How many people do you think can live in that mansion?”

“Surely…”

Since the Bellafork Mansion was originally his, he knew it better than anyone.

From the moment he acquired it, the mansion was considered unnecessarily large and useless.

There were many ways to go about it, and there was even a garden, not to mention it was close to the forest where Kubeul was.

If people were to live there comfortably… dozens of them would be more than enough.

“Are you seriously considering turning the mansion into a demon shelter?”

Was Mariel really such a devoted person?

I thought of her as a weirdo obsessed with magical experiments, almost to the point of being insane.

『There was a hidden intention behind Mariel’s proposal.

She saw this as a golden opportunity to study those who had been demonized.』

Well, that makes sense.

She wanted to use the people in the demon shelter as research material.

Although her intentions were somewhat impure, I doubted Mariel would conduct research harmful enough to harm people.

On the other hand, Algot, with a pale face, spoke to Mariel.

“Are you really going to do that? Mariel, I really want to ask you.”

“But even if we use your mansion as a new demon shelter, is it okay? If people notice…?”

Even if we use Mariel’s mansion, there was still a problem.

The demon shelter was a facility that should never be noticed by people under any circumstances.

There was a good reason why it was operated in secret, hidden deep underground.

If the existence of the demon shelter were to be revealed, everyone involved would be in danger.

Did Mariel know this and still want to bring demons into the mansion?

“Miss Yunoa, do you know what people call Mariel’s mansion?”

At that moment, Algot asked me.

The mansion’s original name was Bellafork Mansion…

After thinking for a moment, Mariel straightened her chest and answered in a proud manner.

“Hmm! People call my mansion ‘The Witch’s House.’ No one comes near except for you guys!”

“…What did you do to make it like that…?”

“And finally, I completed ‘Guardian No. 1’! I’ve entrusted the mansion’s security to that guy, so I can do alchemy inside, summon demons, create undead, and no one would know!”

If Guardian No. 1 was the one who tripped over a gust of wind and fell over, wasn’t it just a tin can that broke itself?

Moreover, if Mariel were to do things like alchemy, summoning demons, and creating undead inside, she would become a target for suppression.

“Well, even if we bring demons from the demon shelter into the mansion, I’m confident that no one else will find out, right?”

There were many elements that could cause trouble, but I knew from the beginning that Mariel was that kind of person, so I asked for the main point.

Mariel nodded vigorously with a confident expression.

“Ahem! Whether or not! This genius magical researcher Mariel is more than willing to accommodate her cherished demon friends!”

“And I will conduct some suspicious research with those demons.”

“That’s right! The demonization of non-demonic races is truly fascinating! How does it happen… oh.”

Mariel paused mid-sentence and glanced at Algot.

Algot stared at Mariel and said, “Mariel, if you plan to use the demons from the shelter as your dangerous experimental subjects, you should stop.”

“Well, well! That’s just something I wanted to try once! What do you take me for! Even with you all watching me closely, do you think I could do such inhumane and unethical things?”

Mariel couldn’t withstand Algot’s pressure and took a step back.

But she had just mentioned wanting to research demonization.

If it was that kind of research, it might not be a bad idea to try it once.

There might even be a way to revert demonized people back to their original state.

However, Algot was glaring at Mariel with great anger, so I couldn’t bring myself to mention such things.

In fact, I was worried that I might become Mariel’s experimental subject.

She may not intentionally do cruel things to people, but it’s still not entirely impossible.

“Ahem, well, anyway! I am always ready to accept the demons! I promise I won’t do anything risky or dangerous for research! That should be fine, right?”

“Sigh….”

Algot let out a deep sigh.

She must know as well.

At this point, the situation is too dire to reject Mariel’s proposal.

It takes time to find a new place to stay, and there are people’s eyes on them.

It was also difficult to bring demons from Piphnel to Kubele without being noticed.

“Even though Mariel may seem like that, she is a capable person. Sending demons to Mariel’s mansion would be as safe as the demon sanctuary in the underground waterway.”

“My friend! I knew you would understand!”

“Mariel, promise me that you won’t do any dangerous experiments on those demons.”

At Algot’s request, Mariel nodded vigorously.

So, is the decision made now?

Let’s see what to do next….

Go to the underground waterway in Piphnel, safely transport all the demons in the demon sanctuary to Kubele.

Then, send them to Mariel’s mansion to live without attracting attention from people….

That should be enough to sort out the situation.

As they were preparing to organize everything and make their own preparations, Mariel stopped me in my tracks.

“Wait! Yuno! You!”

“Yes?”

“I heard that you are keeping the goddess summoned at home!”

Well, that’s true.

“That’s right.”

“Exactly! Please, can’t you research the goddess?”

Mariel pleaded with me, clasping her hands together and bowing deeply.

What kind of punishment is she asking for, this woman?

“Ask her yourself.”

“Can I ask her?! Oh! I’ll come to your house later!”

Mariel clenched her fists in excitement.

Actually, I was curious too.

What would happen if the magic research enthusiast Mariel met with Stellania.

Since Stellania seems to be bored with nothing to do anyway, there’s no need to stop it.

Thinking that way, I left the study to prepare to go to Piphnel.