Chapter 32: Please

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"Actually, the remnants of devils are not that rare."

Atalante continued.

"While the revival of a devil's true form ceased with the last exploits of the Hero who wielded the Holy Sword, its remnants are still scattered throughout the world."

After the devils were ripped apart, their fragments were scattered throughout the world.

Most of them existed in the form of wills and tended to cling to objects or places, but the most dangerous type of fragments were those that used humans as their vessels.

Once all the conditions were met, the fragment would manifest through that vessel.

Just like the Grey Devil fragment manifesting in Eleanor before.

'The problem is…'

Once a devil fragment manifested through a vessel, the other fragments would gather around that person, driven by an almost unavoidable inevitability.

That was why vessels were the most important, and at the same time, dangerous entities. They essentially served as agents for the resurrection of the devil.

"…"

I let out a bitter laugh inwardly.

In the same vein, Eleanor, who had manifested the devil once, would likely undergo significant changes in the future.

It was highly probable that a part of her emotions would be greatly amplified.

It was my job to lead her to the best possible outcome.

"If those devil fragments manifest in the material world, it will cause a catastrophic disaster."

Yes. I already knew about that.

There was something similar that had happened before.

The Crimson Night incident. A disaster that occurred when a human possessing several fragments of the Red Devil manifested them all at once.

It was also this incident that swept away the family of the current Hero candidate, Iliya.

"…"

One of the powers of the Red Devil was called Hellfire, the ability to control near-infinite flames.

Of course, regardless of the number of fragments, it was simply impossible to completely recreate it.

But, nevertheless.

When I saw it in the game's CG, it didn't really touch me. But if it were an accident that happened in real life, the horror of it would be unimaginable.

One human…

…Erased several cities entirely from the face of the map…

…In just one night.

"That's why when I noticed the erosion happening, the power of the Grey Devil, I came here at full speed. Since it extensively occurred through Lady Tristan, we needed to subdue it as soon as possible to reduce the damage."

At that time, it could be said that Atalante had been desperate.

This was a fragment of the Grey Devil, the strongest being among the rulers of Pandemonium.

A power that could kill even a thousand-year-old Eternal.

No, it was far more potent than that.

"…Were you aware that Eleanor was a vessel of the Grey Devil?"

"I had my suspicions. But with the evidence this time, I'm now certain."

Atalante received my words with a smile.

"The people that the Holy Land and Heresy Inquisition within the empire will dispatch are very competent in that regard. Even if they can't pinpoint who exactly the vessel containing the Devil Fragment is, they can come up with a group of candidates."

This sentence was followed by a sigh.

This was great.

Because the Devil Fragments sought hosts on their own.

They attached themselves and laid dormant, remaining undetected for a long time. Once they eventually manifested in the material realm, they would inflict the most devastating damage.

Thanks to this fact, I remembered that even in the game, the presence of the fragments and who they were attached to would be completely random.

In other words, they had the ability to gather information detailed enough on the candidates to create a list. Of which, included things I was unaware of.

It would be a big help for me.

"Thanks to their dormant nature, all the vessels that hold the fragments are only triggered when they're carelessly touched."

Whether it was social status or personal strength, the majority of vessels were individuals who had achieved outstanding accomplishments in their lives.

These individuals were often intricately entwined with political affairs in their respective countries, making it difficult to casually interfere with them. Moreover, if by any chance, they were mishandled and the fragment manifested, it would only result in a catastrophe.

That was why the basic approach toward the vessel candidates was observation, laissez-faire, and light management.

"Yes. But this time, somehow the conditions were right and we've gathered all the leading candidates to this very Academy."

That was great too.

If an individual was a potential vessel, even a single mistake in handling them could pose significant repercussions.

"It was the right target and timing. Luck followed. Fortune favored us. Among them, your existence itself is the luckiest."

"…Yes?"

"The fragment that manifested in Lady Tristan helped you. It used all its time to do only that."

"…"

Yeah, well…

She seemed to be aware that the manifested Grey Devil had assisted me.

But considering the circumstances, it was rather strange if she didn't know.

"It is a strange thing. There's no way that it didn't know that exposing itself was the same as revealing its weakness."

There was naturally a reason for that.

It was because of my special gift, Fatal Charm, which inherently attracted evil.

Other than that, there didn't seem to be any particular reason.

"This part is key."

Atalante continued, still smiling.

"Devils are unusually benevolent toward you, Dowd Campbell."

"…Yes?"

Her words didn't just stop there.

"I have a hypothesis."

Without noticing it, my brows furrowed on their own.

"In my near thousand years of experience, the number of times I've witnessed this rare phenomenon can be counted on one hand."

Atalante stated with confidence in her tone.

The cause was uncertain, but there had been a few individuals throughout history who seemed to have caused such a phenomenon before.

"Human beings who exhibit an obsessive allure that even beings, whose purpose is to bring absolute destruction to the material world, would willingly sacrifice themselves for them. There have been individuals with such spiritual qualities."

She went on to say…

"A chosen born with a destiny to be loved by all evil. Yes, from what I've seen, you are such a person."

"…"

Were my abilities really at that level?

- That is more powerful than you think. I'm interested to see how you deal with it.

The Angels had told me that before.

At this point, I began to understand what Atalante meant about the survival of the world.

If everything she was saying now was true...

I, with my mere existence alone, could exert influence over all those who constituted the axis of evil in this world.

"Personally, this is the first time I've encountered someone who was born with such a nature, so I'd like to research it somehow and find out the principles behind it. However, there are more pressing matters at hand."

Atalante swept her face and sighed.

It didn't seem like she was bringing up a pleasant story right now.

"A person with such inherent qualities is destined to attract devils. No matter what kind of life you lead, you will inevitably become entangled with the vessels of the devils. There has not been a single exception to this scenario."

"…So you're saying…"

"Yes. It means that you, too, will inevitably become entangled with this generation's vessels of the devils."

The following story that unfolded also followed the same context.

"Of course, most people like you did not have a good end, as one would expect."

The majority of vessels were not ordinary humans, and the devils themselves were catalysts for chaos, always carrying numerous tragedies and disasters in their wake.

If all of them were to converge, it would be beyond what a single human could bear.

"But…"

But what, was there something else?

After saying that, Atalante smiled.

"Only once…"

There had been a case where a vessel carrying a devil's fragment and a person with similar spiritual qualities as I met in the past.

True love blossomed and they survived to the very end.

Against all odds such a miracle still transpired.

"What do you think happened?"

"…"

"The fragment dwelling in the vessel completely vanished from the material realm."

As a result, without any medium to use as their point of manifestation, the devil was practically sealed.

And since there was no vessel, the possibility of other fragments converging had also been blocked.

"The exact conditions are unknown. There are stories that you must love each other even in death, or that it only occurs when you truly, passionately love the other person. It's only happened once, so nothing specific is known. However, there is no dispute that a loving relationship is the key."

It was a beautiful story…

…True love that's strong enough to destroy the seeds of evil and ruin.

Yes, it truly was…

"…"

...But, for some reason, I kept feeling a chill down my spine.

"Do you know what, student?"

Atalante grinned.

"The vessel candidates identified so far are, well…"

It was a really unpleasant grin that she was showing me right now.

"…Coincidentally, they are all women"

"…"

The chill cooled further.

Unless one was an idiot, they should be able to figure out where this was heading.

"…So."

"Yes."

"You want me to seduce all of them and eliminate the fragments?"

Atalante smiled softly.

"It's an opportunity bestowed by the Heavens. Being someone with such a nature, what would capturing a couple of maidens' hearts be?"

"…"

"Of course, it won't be easy. The devil worshippers aiming for the resurrection of the devil will continue to target you, and the vessels themselves are not ordinary individuals either. However..."

Atalante politely bowed her head.

"I humbly request you, student— Dowd Campbell."

"…"

"The devil fragments are steadily converging through the vessels. As time goes by, more and more fragments will gather. At this rate, the destruction of mankind is inevitable. It'll only be a matter of time."

"…"

"Please, I beg of you. I will do everything in my power to help. Whatever this old fool can do, I will do it. So, I implore you…"

Please Save Humanity.

Those words faintly echoed in the office.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she witnessed was a white ceiling.

It was a familiar sight. After all, Eleanor was forced to visit this place not long ago due to Conrad's insistence.

"…"

This was Elfante's infirmary. She was inside the campus, not on the outskirts where she had fainted.

Then…

'What about Dowd?'

What happened to him?

This was the first thing that came to her mind and she hurriedly stood up.

"…!"

But it was a decision she immediately regretted.

Her body was so battered that she couldn't even speak, much less bear a sudden jerk.

At the same time, she let out a silent scream from the ensuing agony—

"…Eum?"

Eleanor's eyes slightly widened as she looked down at her body.

It didn't hurt as much as she expected.

Of course, it was still painful, but compared to the injuries she had sustained, this level of pain was akin to a breeze.

'Has my recovery... become faster?'

As the daughter of a renowned swordsman, she had a certain level of physical prowess.

However, even considering that factor, this recovery speed was utterly abnormal.

"…"

Come to think of it, the sinister aura that was always raging in her heart suddenly felt much calmer than usual.

Recalling her last bits of memory, it felt like something had devoured her entire body from within before she had lost consciousness.

'Something has changed.'

As she looked down at her body, Eleanor tilted her head to the side.

It felt as though the composition of her body had completely changed.

As if the energy that had only been within her heart was now affecting her entire body.

"Hwa, the patient has regained consciousness! Call the doctor!"

While she was lost in thought, one of the nurses suddenly exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her awake.

It seemed that she was not the only one with the impression that there was no way she could've recovered so quickly.

Also, as soon as the nurse said that, the door forcefully opened.

Before she could even form the impression that the doctor had arrived, the curtain beside her bed was violently pulled back.

"Hey, are you okay?!"

Beatrix, whose face was stained with urgency, vehemently bombarded her with questions.

"You can remember, right? Can you move? How, how properly…!"

"…Calm down."

Eleanor sighed and calmed her down.

"I'm healthy. And I have retained my memories."

Beatrix breathed a sigh of relief as she scrutinized Eleanor up and down.

Indeed, she looked perfectly fine. Both in terms of speech and appearance.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

As soon as Eleanor said that, Beatrix's palm exploded on her back.

"…"

With her civil background, Beatrix's smack didn't inflict much damage on Eleanor's battle-hardened body.

With tears threatening to flow out, Beatrix continued.

"You're worrying me, really! Ah! I really, ya, I really thought you were going to die this time…!"

"…Was it that serious?"

"As soon as I saw you, I thought you were going straight to the morgue!"

"…"

Well, she did probably look like one hell of a mess.

"Rather, what about Dowd Campbell? Where is he right now?"

Her main concern right now wasn't her condition, but the state of the man that had taken her heart.

As Eleanor asked that with urgency, Beatrix looked at her incredulously.

"You almost died, and you're worried about that? If he dies, a big disaster—"

Beatrix suddenly stopped talking.

Because as soon as those words left her mouth, the radiance in Eleanor's eyes vanished.

A chilling sensation ran down Beatrix's spine in that instant, thinking that she might have misunderstood something.

"No! He's not dead! He's not dead, so calm down!"

"…How is he?"

"He's fine! He's in much better shape than you!"

Seeing the light return to Eleanor's eyes upon hearing those words, Beatrix let out a sigh of relief.

"…Anyway. It's a mess, a complete mess. The amount of trouble with very little time—"

Beatrix paused once again.

This time it was because Eleanor's brow wrinkled when she heard those words.

No, it wasn't that she was visibly upset by Beatrix's words.

It was a different type of feeling that made her shut up.

Eleanor was contemplating her previous statement.

"…Hey?"

"…"

"Why are you suddenly quiet? It's scary."

"No, someone said something like that before."

Eleanor answered with narrowed eyes.

"Two people saying the same thing, would it just be a coincidence?"

"…"

No.

Wasn't that actually just a coincidence?

Eleanor was just interpreting it the way she liked.

'Isn't it strange?'

Like, it really was.

She knew Eleanor cared a lot about Dowd before, but it was still a bit strange that this was what came to her mind as soon as she woke up.

There were signs of it before, but this was... She didn't really know anymore.

'…It feels like her obsession is getting worse?'

Was there any reason? It was really worrying.

Beatrix thought so, but then she shook her head.

Although it was concerning, there was something that needed to be conveyed immediately.

"Unnecessary thoughts aside, it's been hard these days."

"It must have been tough while I was absent."

"It wasn't just tough, it was truly difficult. People are barging in left and right."

"…People are barging in?"

Beatrix sighed.

"Two people, to be exact. They say there will be two big names coming."

Eleanor tilted her head.

Beatrix was the secretary of the Student Council and was used to mingling with people of high status.

Who could make her struggle so much?

"First is the Saintess. She will be coming next week. The Holy Land pushed the idea so strongly that the empire had no choice but to comply."

"Did you hear the reason?"

"There is something they must investigate. And the Saintess will probably lead it."

"…"

"The commotion between you and Dowd Campbell… It seems that the Heretic Inquisition is also keeping an eye on it. Everyone's in an uproar."

Seeing Eleanor's furrowed expression and silence, Beatrix let out a sigh.

Indeed, it was not a trivial matter.

The Holy Land's Saintess was a renowned figure known throughout the continent.

As a representative of God, she may not possess substantial power like the Pope or the Archbishops, but in terms of symbolic significance, she was the most legitimate figure on the entire continent.

'I don't think there's anyone who would be happy to see someone like that come in saying there's something to investigate.'

That's why Beatrix hesitated before revealing the following news.

"And this is something I was planning to tell you later, but since we're on the subject, I'll let you know now."

"What is it?"

"Your father is coming to the academy. Sir Gideon will soon arrive."

Immediately, sparks flew from Eleanor's eyes at the mention of that name.

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