“I don’t know.”
“……?”
Contrary to her serious expression, the words that ca out of her mouth were a rather irresponsible answer.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“……”
A shaless answer without a hint of hesitation.
If she didn't know, she should have said so from the start; after making increase the output because it was too faint, it was a dumbfounding mont.
“How on earth am I supposed to explain this……”
But with her subsequent addition, I realized that the aning of her words was a little different from a simple ‘I don’t know.’
“……”
Muttering as she cupped her chin with her thumb and forefinger, she fell silent for a mont as if organizing her thoughts.
Then, with a low exclamation of ‘Hmm…,’ she slowly began to speak.
“Originally, things like mana patterns aren't sothing a low-ranking mber like would know about… but as you said, each Demonic Species does have a slightly different feel to them.”
“……”
“It’s not like we classify and learn them like humans do, but…”
“……”
“We can distinguish them instinctively.”
Until now, the dark circles drawn deeply under her eyes had only shown a look of fatigue.
But for the first ti, a different emotion flickered in her eyes as she explained.
Curiosity.
It wasn't just empty words; it seed she too had definitely identified sothing unfamiliar in the mana pattern I had shown her.
“…What should I say. It feels like it’s imprinted in our genes?”
“……”
“Anyway, just by looking at the traces left by the mana, we can clearly tell that this one and that one are different. That’s why, unlike others who find it difficult to distinguish, the Demonic Species can recognize each other at first sight.”
…It was sothing I had already guessed to so extent, even without her telling .
After all, the mont I saw Loxy, I knew she was of the Demonic Species.
It wasn't on a knowledgeable level, like I had known from the beginning, but I could actually feel a unique sensation different from that of an ordinary human.
How should I put it?
It was like… if everywhere else was in color, she alone appeared in black and white.
It wasn't that she actually looked that way, but it was sothing I could recognize the mont I saw her, in a realm of intuition beyond the five senses.
…In the first place, she had also said she felt a different sensation from , so while I didn't know for sure, I thought we probably had a similar intuition.
“…Well, just because we can recognize each other doesn't necessarily an we get along.”
“……”
“After all, among the mbers who risk their lives to enter the Orders’ Territory, there are hardly any precious ones. Only lowly beings like co in.”
It was a very realistic side of the story.
‘Infiltration of the Orders’ Territory,’ one of the roles of the Demonic Species in the War against Demons.
This so-called ‘spying’ was not sothing those of high bloodlines would do. Unless one used a powerful enough Artifact, it was difficult to suppress the mana of such a being.
No matter if one had the Demon's Singularity, the inherent size of a being's mana could not be hidden, so they were bound to be discovered quickly.
Those big shots with large masses of mana beca targets for confirmation, regardless of whether they were friend or foe.
In the end, in most cases, it was low-ranking Demonic Species like her who infiltrated, and at most, they were Nad-level.
No matter if they were of the Demonic Species, once they beca a Titled Demon or Knight-class, infiltration was impossible.
And as would be the sa in any organization, the lowest-ranking mbers of different groups didn't get along very well.
Of course, one might think at a glance that they were like a family united under the bloodline of the ‘Demon King.’
But it was hard to see it that way, as the distinction between races within the Demonic Species was quite strict, and those dispatched on infiltration missions with the goal of achieving rit were clear competitors.
They couldn't know what missions the others had received to infiltrate, and it wasn't uncommon for them to be dispatched on the sa mission.
Perhaps it could be explained as a relationship between low-level sales representatives from the sa industry targeting the sa clients.
In fact, there were frequent cases of Demonic Species being discovered by Exorcists while competing with each other, so Loxy's words were close to an undeniable truth with nothing to refute.
“Anyway, so, I have t other Demonic Species a few tis before, but…”
“……”
“This is the first ti I've seen all the patterns overlapping like this.”
Staring at the pattern once more, she tilted her head and muttered as if still finding it strange.
“It looks this way and that way… For now, every feeling I've ever seen is contained within it. Besides that, it seems like many more varied things are engraved together…”
I thought I had a rough idea of what she ant.
There was an image that ca to mind as I listened to her explanation.
An optical illusion picture where you can find two shapes in one image.
It felt like dozens of those had been layered on top of each other.
…It was just that instead of a picture, it was the mana patterns of countless Demonic Species.
“This is all I can tell you. I don't know exactly how sothing like this is possible either…”
She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
A gesture that truly ant she didn't know any more.
“…I understand for now.”
“Then I can go, right? It’s originally my bedti now…”
Nod—
I couldn't quite comprehend why broad daylight, with the sun high in the sky, would be her bedti.
But the shadows under her eyes, where dark circles were deeply settled, negated everything.
I nodded, signifying that she could go, and let her leave.
And.
‘…I’m glad I asked.’
An old mory surfaced in my mind.
* * *
Countless mana patterns were engraved layer upon layer.
The ability to recognize other Demonic Species.
Her explanation rely confird what I had vaguely guessed, and it was certainly an ambiguous explanation to say it had told sothing special.
But it was definitely helpful to .
It wasn't that an amazing application imdiately ca to mind.
But as soon as I heard her expression, a fragnt of a conversation I had with that Louis fellow before my Regression popped into my head.
『…I do not understand it either. Why she would say such a thing.』
『…….』
『If she had just remained silent, I am certain it would not have co to a death sentence… Why on earth did she say that the Vatican was full of demons?』
『…….』
『Why on earth were there traces of mana from all sorts of Demonic Species left on the body of her, who was more sacred than anyone?』
“…The Saintess.”
After hearing Loxy’s explanation, my thoughts naturally turned to Louis’s ntion of her.
Traces of mana from nurous Demonic Species.
And her statent that the Vatican was crawling with demons.
Judging from those two things, it seed that the symptoms that had appeared in her and the symptoms now appearing in had so points of correspondence.
The execution of the Saintess carried out by The Order was done so secretly that only the highest echelons within The Order knew about it.
Because the database managed by The Order was destroyed when the Vatican was invaded, I couldn't confirm the exact circumstances and factual data, so I didn't know the details either.
But there was no reason for him to lie to , and seeing as he was also one of The Order's highest-ranking mbers, if I assud it was all true.
It certainly seed the Saintess had been in a situation similar to mine.
“Hmm…”
It wasn't sothing to be taken lightly.
In the first place, the Saintess was also a person who existed on my bucket list.
Even if not for that, she was an important person who could influence the developnt of the entire War against Demons.
‘…….’
She, who was called the ‘Black Saintess,’ was a person who held great significance for The Order, both in a negative and a positive sense.
『Agent of God.』
In the days before the modifier ‘Black’ was attached to her na.
That is to say.
Back when she had just earned the title of Saintess, along with the doubly aningful nickna, the ‘Woman Lower Than Anyone,’ for having the lowest Demonic Nature value.
She went around performing impossible feats, called ‘miracles,’ and wielded greater influence than anyone.
The most telling example was the ‘Quark's Source Stone extraction’ that Louis had asked of , sothing no one before her had ever managed to do.
And besides the extraction of Quark's Source Stone, she had accomplished several other equally unbelievable feats.
Therefore, without any exaggeration, the Saintess was a person who wielded influence over so many people that she was more revered than the Pope at the ti.
Her very title, ‘Agent of God,’ infringed upon the Pope's authority, but even the Pope could not treat her carelessly and was cautious.
There was no need to explain just how powerful the positive influence the Saintess had at that ti was.
And.
After that, when the Saintess earned the title ‘Black Saintess.’
When the Saintess was detained by The Order under the pretext of being a ‘reactionary.’
After she was virtually stripped of her title as Saintess for the reason that she could no longer perform miracles, she was chosen by The Order as the most dangerous person in its history.
The gap between those two periods was so imnse, and all the data had been lost.
The Suicide Squad before my Regression had even investigated the case, calling it the ‘Black Saintess Incident.’
But even then, it was a matter that had not been fully uncovered and remained sothing of a mystery.
From my perspective of having to lead the War against Demons to victory, the re fact that she had influence, whether positive or negative, made her worth encountering.
Well. Even if it wasn't for that, it was a significant matter in the sense of confirming the unscheduled variable that had occurred to .
The ‘effect of swallowing Quark's Source Stone,’ that is.
…Besides.
『A little gift is heading your way soon, junior.』
『…….』
『It was supposed to take a bit more ti… but I wanted to see how you'd react, so I moved it up a bit. Hope you receive it well.』
It was sothing I had been keeping an eye on anyway because of Isaac's comnt.
It felt like its significance was gradually growing.
Well.
Perhaps her symptoms were just the sa as mine, but with a completely different cause, and even if the cause was the sa, there was a high probability that she also didn't know the solution.
But it was sothing I had to do anyway.
And what should I call it… I had a hunch.
A strong hunch that my Demonic Species ability, gained from swallowing Quark's Source Stone, and she were sohow connected, in one way or another.
“…Should I do that next?”
I had thought about moving up the timing of the task, but I hadn't pinpointed exactly when.
But if it held this much aning.
Valencia.
It didn't seem like a bad idea to handle the Saintess's case first, right after finding the princess of the Beastkin Nation.
“…First, I need to get used to this.”
Saaah—
Practicing hiding the unique traces left by the Demon's Singularity, I organized my thoughts once more.
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