Chapter 13: Deals that never work (11)

Before I was born into this world, I was quite fond of noir films—those crime-action movies where two bad villains tussle with a righteous hero.

Among them, the scenes where the enemy boss of a rival gang gets tortured were especially cathartic.

It made me understand why the picaresque genre was so popular.

“Just kill me already!”

Well, picaresque or noir, since I’m a saintess, I guess I should call it “poetic justice.”

“Oh dear, as a servant of God, my mouth must not speak lies… Perhaps I’m lacking in devotion. Come now, repent!”

“You insane…!”

Drip, drip—

The incubus struggles weakly, his wounds still unhealed, but I pay no mind and pour holy water over his head.

He claimed to be the king of dream demons, didn’t he? Normally, high-ranking individuals would have expensive oils poured over them during baptismal rites, but for now, holy water will have to suffice.

I hope he understands.

“Well then, anointed one, are you ready to speak the truth now?”

“…Nothing will change, no matter what you do.”

Ah, where did the polite words go? Now he’s spitting out informal speech at me, the sacred saintess conducting this baptismal rite.

There are limits to blasphemy. This calls for a firm punishment.

“Aaaargh! P-please, stop!”

“Don’t worry, there’s plenty of holy water left. I never give up on a poor lamb. Now, enjoy the blessings of baptism.”

“Se-Sera…?”

The sight of him writhing and burning, like a mosquito hit by a mix of bug spray and a lighter, does tug at the heartstrings a bit.

But alas, there’s no other way.

I stifle my tears and pour more holy water to ensure this wretched demon can properly repent.

Does Natalia even understand my intentions? She keeps trying to stop me, but I won’t give up.

“Natalia, this isn’t punishment—it’s a blessing. Demons don’t shed tears, after all; tears are a sign of the righteous.”

‘No… Those aren’t tears on his face. It’s holy water running down instead…’

“Oh? Not tears, you say? It seems he needs more anointing, then!”

Recently, there’s been far too much stress in my life.

The damned hero’s nightly chants, his constant attempts to hypnotize me, and the fact that nothing seems to go my way—it’s all infuriating.

But that’s fine. When things don’t go as planned, all I have to do is adjust them.

The moonlight glimmers on the holy water as I pour it again over the incubus’s head.

The cheerful sound of liquid flowing out of the bottle is oddly beautiful.

Dignity is paramount during baptismal rites.

As I was taught, I grip the bottle gracefully with both hands, maintaining a serene smile.

Soon, the bottle is empty.

What remains is the incubus drenched entirely in holy water.

Natalia, seemingly fed up, turns her head away, unwilling to watch.

But I refuse to quit.

“P-please, stop…!”

“Not ‘stop’—we need to talk, don’t we?”

I’m not interested in pleas for mercy or cries to end the pain.

What I want to hear is about the mana stones, Eureka, and whatever schemes are being plotted.

By that measure, the incubus’s response so far earns only a 50 out of 100.

Thankfully, it seems my prayers have reached God.

With a snap of my fingers, I prepare to ignite the divine power, and finally, proper answers begin to flow.

“Three hundred years ago, when the evil god vanished, we had to retreat to the demon realm.”

“Oh, I love old stories. Do go on.”

“…Anyway, the other lieutenants returned to the original world, but Lilith and I were different. We draw power from human dreams.”

Incubus Cain and Succubus Lilith are two halves of a single entity.

Known as the kings of dream demons, they couldn’t bear to part with human dreams.

So, they took the risk of living among humans, despite losing much of their power.

During that time, their occupation was as moneychangers—a tidbit I couldn’t care less about, yet Cain rambles on.

The old tales I want to hear aren’t these.

Can’t he switch to something more recent? While I appreciate the honesty, his lack of understanding suggests the baptism is still insufficient.

“Are you perhaps planning to hold out until I run out of holy water? There’s a waterway nearby, you know. That might be inconvenient for you.”

“Kuhuhu… That’s not it. What I’ve been waiting for isn’t the holy water—it’s the moon!”

Two moons rise in this world: one small and red, the other large and blue.

They orbit each other beautifully in the night sky. Occasionally, when the two align, it’s treated as a special event.

It also happens to trigger a special pattern for dream demons in the game.

Yeah, the kind that wipes out both heroes and saintesses alike—a truly wretched mechanic.

Celestial alignment! Let all things enter the realm of dreams!

“Natalia! Kill him immediately!”

Sensing impending doom, I call out to Natalia, but it seems too late.

A profound silence has descended around us.

Granted, it’s not unusual for this area to be quiet, but this silence feels oppressive, as though all sound in the city has vanished.

Celestial alignment. It’s a skill where anyone of lesser standing than Cain or Lilith within its range inevitably falls asleep.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a deadly move, but its true power lies in the dream demons’ nature.

They are a race that feeds on dreams.

Dreams are their source of strength, the origin of their demonic energy.

The more people they can put to sleep, the more sustenance they have.

“While working as moneychangers, we mixed a bit of our blood into quite a lot of currency. Currency appreciates when it gathers in large quantities at the capital. Even if someone noticed, human greed is endless. Either way, my influence could only grow.”

“…So the people of the capital are all asleep because of the blood in the currency.”

“Exactly. Tricks alone wouldn’t have sufficed without the mana stone’s help, though. Thanks to that, I now feel more powerful than ever.”

Plenty of holy water remains.

While Cain keeps talking, I discreetly pass the bottle to Natalia.

Thankfully, Cain seems too preoccupied to notice.

The moment I successfully hand off the bottle, the counterattack begins.

Forget gathering intel—Cain must die.

If not, the danger to us is too great.

“Sera! Keep throwing holy water!”

“Natalia, don’t worry about the flames—charge straight in!”

The rapier burns with holy flames made from the holy water.

A blade enchanted with sacred fire.

Since the fire only burns demonic energy, there’s no risk of Natalia getting hurt.

Cain seems to have powered up considerably, but compared to the start, we’re in a much better position now.

It’s a fight we can win.

“Kuh, my head…!”

Or maybe not. Cain’s eyes glow, and Natalia drops her rapier, clutching her head in pain.

I know this sight all too well. It’s the reaction to resisting hypnosis or charm.

The same headaches I endure every morning beside the hero.

The difference is that Natalia couldn’t resist. Her eyes go lifeless, utterly defeated.

The great knight of the Rozahan Kingdom, the proud lady of the prestigious Nighthart family—reduced to a pathetic puppet, unable to resist hypnotic skills.

“Did someone say holy water never lies? Dream demons’ charms don’t lie either. Now, even the hero can be brainwashed!”

Natalia grabs my arm, binding me in place.

Cain’s glowing eyes fix on me.

This is bad—no, this is very, very bad.