Chapter 50. It Was a Devil.

“…….”

Simon closed his eyes for a moment after hearing my explanation.

Only the sound of soft breathing echoed in the quiet room.

While even the Queen tactfully kept her silence.

Geoeok- geok.

Pol snored.

It seemed he was dozing off again as the story got a bit long.

It was obvious he wouldn't be of any help in the conversation anyway, so I didn't bother to wake him up.

Simon swallowed the cold tea in one gulp and slowly opened his mouth.

“An attempt to artificially evolve a monster, and a devil at the guard headquarters. The connection to Luke Ivers seems like a bit of a leap—but it has its own logic.”

I felt a sense of relief at Simon's assessment.

Until now, I had only been thinking by myself, and since each issue was a serious matter, there was no one around to ask for an opinion.

As for Pol, who was at least by my side, he would nod his head at whatever I said, so the concept of evaluating an opinion didn't even apply.

Because of that, I hadn't been certain.

His personality was disagreeable, but receiving agreement from Simon, who possessed his own expertise, was proof that it wasn't just my own delusion.

Simon went one step further.

“Speaking of devils, how much do you know about them, Mr. Ben?”

“I know nothing at all.”

The few words the Queen had rambled on about were everything.

Even that was just a direct relay of the self-proclaimed devil's claims, so its reliability converged to zero.

“There are a few characteristics of a devil.”

Simon began his explanation naturally, as if he had expected as much.

“First, uniqueness. There has never been a case where multiple devil individuals that could be called the same species have been discovered. In fact, it's strange to even group them as one. Their forms and strengths are all different.”

Uniqueness…….

“Second. Similarity with monsters. They have green blood just like monsters and are beings hostile to humans. In addition, they also have an ecology that is different from ordinary creatures.”

Somehow, my connection with the color green did not end.

“Third. Similarity with humans. This is the reason why devils are classified independently from monsters despite that. They generally have limbs similar to humans and possess superior intellectual abilities, making conversation possible.”

Simon, who had been listing the explanations while counting on his fingers, paused for a moment.

His gaze rested on the Arachne Queen for a moment before turning to me.

“Fourth. The most important part, these beings commonly have mental abilities. They convey their will without using voice, and because of this, a phenomenon called ‘corruption’ often occurs where a devil exists.”

Conveying will without using a voice, he said.

It seemed highly possible that the one who had spoken to the Arachne Queen was a real devil.

Was there really a devil in the Imperial Capital?

As I mulled over the explanation about devils, I suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

“...Wait a moment. The explanation you just gave about devils-”

Something I had never seen anywhere.

Something that was fundamentally a monster.

Possessing a form and intelligence similar to a human.

And, having conveyed its will through means other than voice.

“-Doesn't all of that apply to this one too?”

For convenience's sake, I had been calling it the Arachne Queen, but it was a being slightly different from the Arachne Queen.

The thing that-had been-the Arachne Queen.

“You’re saying this thing is a devil?”

“This thing! You lowly human cur-!!”

The Queen leaped up, as if what she had been holding back until now had exploded.

The Queen, who had floated nearly a hand's span into the air, fell.

With all her legs inside the pouch, she failed to land and rolled on the table.

Grab-

“Kiiit…….”

The Queen became docile again as soon as Simon's hand touched her.

“There was one hypothesis about devils in the academic world.”

With the Queen placed on his palm, Simon continued speaking.

“That devils are the ultimate monsters, evolved to be close to humans. However, since the process of a devil's genesis was not known, it was only in the realm of hypothesis. Seeing this, it seems that hypothesis was correct.”

“The scholars will be pleased.”

The missing link, finally discovered.

A theory wouldn't be perfectly proven with just one sample, but in any case, an excellent example had appeared.

What was more surprising than that was Simon's knowledge.

I had heard that the members of the Central Knight Order were amazing people, but wasn't it a bit much for them to be experts on the fighting side and also be aware of hypotheses prevalent in the academic world?

“How do you know so much about devils?”

“Ahaha. I had to kill a few for a mission before. They weren't opponents to be taken lightly, so I did some research.”

...I knew it, but he was a scary human.

Was this level of competence required to enter the Imperial Central Knight Order?

“Putting the situation together, it seems they too have concocted a conspiracy based on this hypothesis.”

“Do you believe they intended to go beyond the artificial proliferation of monsters and create a devil?”

“It means they could, if they possessed specialized knowledge related to devils.”

There was no clear evidence yet.

Just a conjecture based on the circumstances.

But the possibilities were more than enough.

“Choosing the Arachne was probably for that reason as well. Because Arachne are a type of monster whose conditions for evolution are relatively well-known.”

The characteristic of Arachne, where evolution to a superior individual occurs just by increasing their numbers.

They were a species suitable for an attempt to artificially create a devil.

“And using that devil—they might have intended to corrupt people. Just like how they placed a devil near the guard headquarters.”

“What exactly does that ‘corruption’ mean? Does it mean people start to follow the devil or something?”

Usually in movies or games, when 'corruption' was mentioned, it was often depicted as turning into a fanatic, becoming a minion who prioritizes the villain's commands above all else.

“It's not that grand. This also manifests a little differently for each devil, but the emotions of people living in the area where a devil has settled show a common characteristic.”

A true expert.

His answers flowed without hesitation.

“For example, they become unable to control their anger, their selfish aspects become stronger, they become lazy, and I have also seen cases where their appetite or sexual desire intensifies.”

“Hearing it like that, it doesn't seem all that serious.”

Wasn't it a bit subtle?

To go through all the trouble of making a huge investment to create a devil, only to use it for mere incitement.

Simon gave a subtle smile.

It was the expression my work superiors often showed when I said something foolish, a ‘you don't know because you haven't experienced it-’ kind of face.

“The effects of corruption grow progressively worse, you see. A person affected by corruption continuously causes problems, and when it gets severe, daily life becomes impossible. The fact that it's hard to notice right away is what makes it so malicious.”

It meant that the probability of getting into fights or committing other crimes while being swayed by negative emotions would increase significantly.

Therefore, the role of the guards who maintain public order becomes more important.

If those very guards were to be affected by the corruption—the chaos would grow beyond control.

“Fighting a devil physically is simple, by contrast. No matter how strong the devil is, we just need to deploy forces to match it. If worst comes to worst, the entire Knight Order could charge in and we would be able to protect the Imperial Capital.”

I see.

Indeed, Simon, who was terrifyingly strong, was just one knight belonging to the Imperial Central Knight Order.

It meant that humans with strength on par with Simon existed in group units.

Besides, although he was stuck in prison, there was also the Sword Saint, who boasted unrivaled strength.

His attitude of not being afraid of physical attacks was understandable.

“But corruption that slowly seeps in is a different story. It takes time just to recognize the problem, and solving it requires even more time. And you can't just kill everyone who's been corrupted, as they don't look much different on the outside.”

It meant that dealing with it was tricky.

It was a much more rational and efficient method than gathering the military power to face the Imperial Central Knight Order in order to bring down the Imperial Capital.

“I need to rethink this.”

“What……”

“Up until the assassination of His Majesty the Emperor, I thought there might be a political motive. Because there were certainly those who would benefit from His Majesty the Emperor's passing. Such as His Highness the Crown Prince, who would become the next emperor, and besides that, there were nobles who did not follow His Majesty the Emperor's will.”

Even historically, it was common for those called absolute rulers to end their lives through assassination, or to be ousted in their later years and have their power taken away.

Because power was a sweet thing, there was no end to those who sought it.

Even with the practical difficulties and aftershocks of assassinating the emperor, there must have been humans who wished for the emperor to die.

For that reason, there were many people who could have instructed or commissioned Luke Ivers to assassinate the emperor.

While it was true that the emperor was the center of the empire, he was not the empire itself.

Even if the emperor died, the empire would go on.

‘And it's actually running just fine.’

The emperor's assassination could have been an extreme method to go from the ‘ruled side’ to the ‘ruling side.’

However, spreading chaos in the Imperial Capital by using even a devil was a different story.

“If the Imperial Capital collapses, a crack may form in the structure of the empire. It might split into numerous countries, and the flames of war could sweep across the continent.”

“Just one city won't lead to that-”

“If it were to collapse all at once from an external attack, the damage would be less, comparatively. Buildings can be rebuilt, and people can be brought in. It can't be said that it's not a crisis, but recovery is possible to some extent.”

Simon picked up a cookie from the plate on the table, broke it in half, and then put the pieces back together.

A crack remained, but the overall shape of the cookie was maintained.

“But if it collapses slowly, the situation becomes more serious. Even if the collapse of the Imperial Capital begins, it cannot be easily abandoned, so enormous resources will be invested to deal with the situation. But the ones trying to bring down the empire won't just stand by, so it won't be possible to properly stop the progression.”

Next, Simon poured hot tea water onto another cookie.

The cookie began to get wet from the outside and dissolve into a mush.

If another cookie was placed on top of it, the shape would be maintained for that moment, but in the end, they would all become a sticky mush together.

“That flow will continue until the empire is completely broken.”

An empire meant a state structure where a suzerain state rules over vassal states.

A form of governing different countries with different identities as one nation, bound by the power of the suzerain state.

As investment to prevent the collapse of the Imperial Capital continued, the suzerain state's capacity would decrease, and it would become a trigger for the dissatisfaction of the small countries that had been suppressed until now to explode.

“It seems those guys are seriously trying to bring down the empire.”

“……”

It was a grand story.

No, the emperor's assassination wasn't a small matter to begin with.

It was just that I hadn't fully realized it.

“We must stop it, somehow.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you wouldn't be very interested.”

Simon casually replied as he pushed the mushy cookie towards the Arachne Queen.

“Giiit……!!”

The Queen tried to refuse, but she couldn't escape from Simon's hand and reluctantly swallowed the cookie mush that was being pushed into her mouth.

“Interested?”

“I didn't think you would have any loyalty or affection for the empire.”

“...I have to stop a war from happening.”

People die when a war breaks out.

Therefore, war should be avoided as much as possible.

This might be the sentiment of a modern person.

In this world, where killing and being killed was common, war might not be such a big deal.

Still, I didn't want to pretend I didn't know.

“Heuheung. Good. Then I will investigate the guard headquarters side myself. As we discussed before, I would like you to chase after them outside the Imperial Capital.”

“...Gueeek.”

Simon, having finished disposing of the food waste on the Queen, said with a bright smile.

“After you receive swordsmanship training from Master, of course.”

Ah, right.

I came here to become the Sword Saint's disciple.

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