Chapter 48 – Conspiracy (5)

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Even if a demon descends, it is not necessarily impossible to subdue it.

There are established methods for dealing with it, and the strength of demons of the same kind varies greatly depending on their hierarchy.

There are now over a dozen heretic inquisitors in the academy, and with that number, a demon of considerable hierarchy could be apprehended without batting an eye.

Soon after the summoning ritual is complete, demonic mana will flow out through the circle.

Then the heretic inquisitors will be able to identify the location and soon begin the subjugation.

However, for the first time in decades, and in the academy of all places, the fact that a demon has been summoned will leave a vivid imprint on many people's minds.

"In front!! Get out of the way!"

"Get down quickly!"

"Follow the instructions and move calmly! Don't run!"

As soon as I left the investigators' quarters, there was chaos outside.

Students were screaming, running in all directions, and the faculty were desperately trying to control them.

"Ugh… How come nothing goes right?"

The incident has already occurred, and I could figure out the reasons later. For now, I must overcome this situation.

In the original, Eugene captured the demon worshiper in the building where Class-E's dormitory was located.

So it seems like all I have to do is stay away from that place, but the problem is that I don't know where that building is. What should I do? Should I just follow the instructions of the faculty members?

While I was thinking for a moment, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist from behind.

"Ed! We have to run away! What are you doing here? Come this way, hurry!"

"Ellie? Why are you here?"

* * * * *

"Of course I was waiting for you to come out…! But what is this mess all of a sudden? Ed, don't just stand there, let's go!"

The person who grabbed my arm was Ellie. Apparently she was just waiting for me to come out of the investigators' quarters.

She whimpered and dragged me along, and I started running after Ellie.

Already, it seemed like everyone else had completed their evacuation, as there was no sign of life around.

"Ellie! I can run faster on my own, so let go! But, by the way, do you know where Class-E's dormitory is?"

"Ed, are you an idiot? Why are you asking that in the middle of all this! That's the building you just came out of!"

...what? 

When I heard Ellie's words, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

I stopped running for a moment and turned my head to look back.

It was hard to believe that this was the building that had been filled with people just moments ago. Now, there was only a thick silence.

And then, after a moment. The surrounding air began to tremble slightly, and then it was sucked into the building in an instant.

It was like a vortex was swirling violently.

—Whoooosh…!

Ellie was caught by the strong wind and almost fell, but she managed to hold on to my arm to support herself.

It was a strange phenomenon I had never seen before, but I was able to instinctively realize what was happening.

The demon was about to descend.

"Ellie! Can you move? We have to get out of here!"

"The wind…is too strong…! That's why…I told you to hurry…you idiot…"

I could barely hold on, but Ellie seemed to be having a hard time holding herself together. I wrapped one arm around Ellie, turned and started running in the opposite direction of the building.

"What, what, what, what…!"

Ellie kept screaming something, but I couldn't hear her because of the wind.

It was harder than I thought to maintain my balance while supporting someone and running against the strong wind. I almost fell several times and moved with all my strength, but even though I took quite a few steps, I couldn't get much distance from the building.

As the wind gradually died down, a cracking sound, as if something was breaking, started to echo from somewhere; then, with a thunderous noise, as if a huge iceberg was shattering all at once, the windows of the building shattered at once.

Now, Class-E's dormitory had turned into a complete ruin.

…Mehh…meh…!

After a moment of stillness, a wail began to spread from the ruins. Initially a small sound, the cry increased in volume as if trying to assert its presence far and wide.

—Mehhheee! Mehhheee…!

The bleating of an animal, such as a goat or a sheep, evoked dreadful discomfort and an unknown terror in those who heard it.

I, too, couldn't free myself from the overwhelming emotions, and Ellie, held in my arms, was trembling like a leaf.

As I looked back, I saw something like a black mass floating in the air and coming towards me.

It had a gruesome appearance, as if someone had severed a head and hung it. However, it had only a mouth without eyes, ears, or a nose, and the demon incessantly let out a mournful scream through that mouth.

—Mmmeh! Meee…! 

"Cough…! Cough!! Kek!!"

"Oh my, Edwin!!"

Along with the howling of the demon, a dark and viscous energy, unpleasantly clinging to the body, engulfed me. Trembling all over, my vision blurred.

At the same time, I felt a stabbing pain all over my body, and I started coughing up blood and foam.

The mana concentration, unlike the diluted mana I experienced in the demon world, was on a different level.

I tried to stand up, gritting my teeth, but I could feel my legs getting weaker and weaker.

I couldn't endure any longer and was about to fall, but someone who had rushed towards me from behind supported my shoulders.

"Edwin! What were you doing without evacuating!"

Lazarus Fontana and his inquisitors, aiming to send the demon back to hell, had rushed over.

* * * * *

Except for Lazarus, who was supporting me, the inquisitors began to form a defensive formation with the demon at the center. 

"Elmo! Come over here! Cecilio! What are the results of the measurement?"

Lazarus looked back and shouted, then turned his head to look at the priests who were surrounding the demon.

A priest who heard his cries took out a white bead-like object the size of an egg from his chest. As the priest stretched out his hand and held out the bead, the once pure white bead gradually became murky.

"Just a moment…just a moment…! That's it! Grade-3! It's an incomplete summoning with a messed-up form! It's not even a possession form! This should be manageable!"

"I understand! But don't let down your guard! Elmo, take care of them. The boy has been affected by demonic mana, so hurry up and infuse him with holy power. Be sure to check for any injuries!"

Lazarus left us in the care of a young priest and immediately ran to join the ranks surrounding the demon.

As the priest infused me with holy power, I felt the demonic mana that had been eating away at my body dissipate; there were still internal injuries, but the chills were gone and my vision had returned to some extent.

I looked in the direction where the Inquisitors and the demon were confronting each other. 

The demon must have sensed its impending end, and was trying to resist fiercely, spitting out mana in all directions. 

—Mehhheee! Mehhheee!

"Bind that wicked serpent with iron chains and make it kneel under our feet…"

"In the name and power of our Lord, I banish you…"

However, the demon's pitiful cries were repelled by the ritual tools worn by the priests and scattered into the air.

As the priests recited their prayers, luminous barriers began to materialize, resembling radiant walls from all directions. The glowing walls converged toward the demon, and soon, the demon was confined like a mouse trapped in a box.

—… !… !! 

Now, even when the demon opened its mouth to wail, the sound was blocked by the radiant walls and couldn't escape outward. Confirming the success of binding the demon, Lazarus shouted to the other priests.

"That's it, it's tied up! Nerio, Norma! Follow the traces that the demon left behind! There must be a central summoning circle there, and if you destroy it, the demon will be exorcised back to hell!"

"Yes, Master!"

After hearing Lazarus' words, the two priests ran into the ruins of the building that had now been completely destroyed.

And after a while after they disappeared, something began to change in the form of the demon trapped in the box of light.

—… !… !! 

Its body began to shrivel up like crumpled paper, and the demon continued to scream, but still not a single sound escaped. The demon, which continued to shrink, finally crumbled and scattered in the air without leaving a single trace.

And only then did the priests disarm the radiant wall after confirming that the demonic mana had completely dissipated through the bead.

However, the joy of catching the demon was nowhere to be found, and each of them had a serious look on their face and were in shock, each of them falling silent or muttering to themselves.

"A demon…a demon…Lord God…"

"What will the future hold for us through this ordeal?"

They seemed deeply shocked by the reconfirmation of the demon's existence. However, I was entirely focused on the events unfolding elsewhere.

What the hell was Eugene doing? He had been diligently searching the surroundings for demon worshippers just a few days ago. But why on such a crucial day would he indulge in something else…?

Since the future where Eugene catches the demon worshiper and leaves an impression on the officials of the Holy Kingdom has vanished, the meeting between him and the saintess could take an unpredictable turn now.

Without the infinite holy power of the saintess, it would be really difficult to deal with the Grade-1 demons that will descend later… 

"Ed… Your expression is terrifying."

Ellie looked at my face and then, for some reason, offered a smile tinged with uneasiness.

—— End of chapter —–

If you want to read the first 25 chapters for free and read up to the final chapter for a cheap price patreon.com/Makima02