Mission:021 The Parasite

"Y-Your Majesty!"

In the Round Table hall of Order Headquarters, Agnus stormed out of the shadows and slapped a hand down on the table. "C-C-C-Credo is a traitor!"

Not far behind him, Gloria followed with a catlike stride.

Credo, the Captain of the Knights seated beside the Round Table, was a stern man with a goatee. His brows drew together slightly, and beneath his calm tone, it was as if he were suppressing something. "Mind your behavior, Agnus! You stand before His Majesty."

"You knew from the start, didn't you!" Agnus grew even more agitated. "That so-called sister of yours is a d-d-d-demon!"

"What did you say?!" In an instant, Credo slammed the table as well and stood, his eyes blazing with fury.

The Pope finally spoke up and stopped them. "Enough. Both of you, calm yourselves. Gloria, do you know anything?"

Gloria, who had been called on, shrugged and moved closer to the Round Table.

"I only saw that Agnus's laboratory had been made a complete mess by someone unknown," she answered with a smile. "I hope it won't affect our great goal."

The old Pope wearing the crown nodded thoughtfully and said, "Of course. I will not betray the hard work all of you have devoted."

He turned his head and looked again at the two men standing. "Agnus."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty."

The stuttering Black researcher forced down his anger and drew a deep breath before speaking. "That st-st-stinking girl called Nero has Demonic Power in her. A lot of it. Very powerful Demonic Power. She smashed up my laboratory and ab-absorbed Yamato!"

In an instant, Credo's brows locked tightly together. His gaze collided with Agnus's, as though sparks might fly in the air between them.

The Pope looked at Credo and asked, "Nero?"

"She is my sister, Your Majesty," Credo answered with a bow. "One of the Songstresses who will sing at the Festival of the Blade."

"Ah, the child you recommended." The Pope raised a hand and waved, signaling Credo to rise. "In other words, you had never discovered such power in her?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Y-you're lying!" Agnus shouted.

"Agnus." The Pope cast him a look. Agnus blinked in surprise, put away his anger, and bowed.

"Credo."

"Your Majesty, please give your command."

"I remember you applied for the Ascension Ritual on her behalf."

"...Yes."

"The reason?"

"My younger sister was attacked by a demon and gravely wounded."

The Pope sighed softly and looked at Credo with pity. "Then you should accept this reality."

At once, the color drained from Credo's face, leaving it deathly pale. "You... you mean—"

The Pope nodded and gestured with a wave of his hand. "This matter should be handled by the Knights, but I think... perhaps you would wish to do it yourself."

Credo lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he bowed. "Your will be done."

Then he gripped the Power Sword at his waist, turned, and walked out of the hall.

Credo's footsteps echoed through the hall. Only when the sound gradually faded did the Pope turn his head toward Agnus and speak again.

"You said she absorbed Yamato?"

"Th-that's right, Your Majesty."

Agnus came fawningly before the Pope, hunched over and rubbing his hands. "Clearly, Yamato..."

Halfway through, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Gloria.

"Looks like this isn't something I'm suited to hear?" She smiled and turned, preparing to leave the hall.

The Pope stopped her. "There is no need. Agnus, continue."

"Yes. As you know, I spent years studying that blade, but it never once reacted. And now—"

"Ah..."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of the Pope's mouth. He laced his hands together and propped them on the table, leaning forward and resting his chin on the backs of his hands. "In that case, she is very special."

"Just as you say."

The Pope nodded, then shifted to another topic. "Do you think Credo will bring her back?"

Agnus answered with a sinister smile. "Your Majesty, he has more than one sister."

"Mm..."

"I'll go help Credo."

Gloria's words drew the gazes of both the Pope and Agnus. They saw that Gloria had already risen, looking ready to act.

She spun the Flying Dagger in her hand and said with a smile, "He has already lost one sister. I think... he will make the right decision."

"Quite right. We must protect the one who remains." The Pope smiled benevolently, his gaze turning to Agnus. "May I trouble you with that?"

"As you wish."

The big man with pitch-black skin bowed deeply, and the two of them retreated separately into the darkness beyond the hall.

But that darkness was nowhere near as deep as the color in the Pope's heart.

Nero, who had crawled out of the dark, unfathomable opening, raised her head and looked into the distance. The sun had already risen from the far side of the forest. A thin mist shrouded the base of the cliff, veiling the emerald-green Mitis Forest in a "fairyland."

Kyrie seemed to occasionally bring the children from the Orphanage to this forest to play—but not to this area before her. It was the eastern forest near the Order of the Sword's headquarters. By contrast, the western forest in front of her was bound to have more demons than the east, far more.

So the place below was no fairyland. It was a Demonic Realm.

Nero touched her chest. Yamato, sleeping there in the form of magic power, still gave no response. So she sighed, drew one of the Twin Guns from beside her thigh, and walked forward along the narrow path by the cliff wall.

She had already taken inventory in the cave. The two guns used the same caliber of bullets: two in the chambers, fourteen in the magazines, plus five spare magazines, for a total of fifty-one rounds. Once those fifty-one bullets were used up, she would have no other weapons.

She had to save what she could.

Because this forest was deeply influenced by Demonic Power, and the source was the Gate of the Demon World located in the Forest Depths.

The forest had a master.

At the end of the mountain path, Nero stepped into the forest with extreme caution. She approached an abandoned church hidden among the green shade.

At the base of the walls, in the treetops, between the cracks in the rocks—huge seeds brimming with Demonic Power were everywhere. These were all things left behind by the lord hidden in the forest.

So Nero did not touch them. She only pushed open the door and entered the courtyard connected to the mountain wall before her. Then she crossed the courtyard, drowned beneath Vines, weeds, and moss, and walked into the church interior connected to the skybridge on the back side of the mountain peak.

The heavy iron door was pushed open with an ear-piercing screech, and dust fell in sheets from the Door Frame. Somewhat covered in dust, Nero patted the grime from her hair, then looked up and saw several demons stand in the empty church.

They were evil humanoids stitched together from scraps of cloth—Scarecrows. In Fortuna, this was the most common type of demon.

But since they had appeared in this forest, these Scarecrows were definitely not as simple as they looked.

Bluish-green Vines covered in nauseating slime pierced through the Scarecrows' bodies and wrapped them up. These writhing Vines stole the weak demons' ability to move and took their place.

In moments, crimson Man-eating Demon Flowers bloomed atop the Scarecrows' heads.

Parasite Demon Flower: Chimera, Retainers of the Forest Lord.

Nero raised her gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.