Chapter 9: The Two Partners

Smiles, chatter, sunken cheeks.

Everyone here had lost their minds, going about their daily lives as if this twisted world were normal.

They were trapped in a dream, ensnared by the Devil.

Just like I had been moments ago.

A sickly-sweet stench of rot invaded my nose.

"...It reeks."

I pulled up the hem of my priestly robes to cover my mouth.

It didn’t help. Like trying to douse a fire with a single drop of water.

The scent was overwhelming—like fruit left to rot until it turned to mush. No, worse.

This was likely what had driven the townspeople mad.

And since it could be purified with holy ether, that meant one thing—this was the Devil’s doing.

Saving the people would have to wait.

There were too many.

With my current reserves of holy ether, I couldn’t cleanse them all. If they weren’t in immediate danger, they’d have to endure it for now.

My priority was slaying the Devil.

And to do that—

"...I need to regroup with Elsie."

She was my partner.

Given the scale of this corruption, the Devil had to be a high-rank.

I wasn’t sure I could win alone.

Charging in without a plan wasn’t bravery—it was stupidity.

"Do everything you can before the fight starts."

Elsie’s words echoed in my head.

If I lost, the townspeople would be in even greater danger.

I couldn’t afford to lose.

"…………"

The streets were emptier than before.

Too empty.

This place should’ve been livelier.

So why...?

"……Tch."

Devils didn’t kill out of hunger.

They were born from human negativity—feeding on people only made them stronger.

So then... how many had this one consumed?

My grip tightened around my silver greatsword, Claymore.

I braced for the worst, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling.

Elsie had entered this town yesterday.

If the worst had happened...

"...She’ll be fine."

She was an elite exorcist, far stronger than I.

I repeated it in my head, as if that would make it true.

Even so, the unease wouldn’t leave me.

My steps quickened before I even realized it.

---

“…Huh? Sherry? Where are we going?”

“Huh? Didn’t I just say? We’re going to the inn!”

I tilted my head.

“But… we didn’t book an inn, did we?”

Sherry blinked, looking surprised.

“Elsie, did you forget? We booked it right when we got here.”

“…Eh? Did we?”

Did we?

I think we did.

We must have.

Yes, we had booked an inn when we first arrived in this town.

So why had I forgotten?

“See, Elsie? You really aren’t feeling well! You need to rest at the inn—”

“N-No, that can’t be…”

My body felt fine.

My mind felt fine.

No headaches. No nausea.

So I wasn’t tired. And yet—

Something felt… off.

My thoughts were foggy. Slipping away like sand through my fingers.

I couldn’t grasp them.

“It’s okay, Elsie!”

A sweet scent filled my lungs.

“Nothing’s wrong at all.”

Sweet thoughts.

“So don’t worry about it.”

Sweet memories.

“Come on… let’s go. This way—”

She took my hand, leading me forward—

Into the alley.

Into the darkness.

And in that instant—

Another hand grabbed mine.

“…Huh?”

Sherry was pulling me toward the alley.

But on the other side…

A boy I didn’t know.

His grip was firm, urgent.

His voice was desperate.

“Elsie! Don’t—if you go there, you’ll—!”

He knew me.

But I didn’t know him.

Who was he?

I didn’t know.

“Elsie! Ignore him! Let’s go!”

Ah. Right.

I had to go with Sherry.

“Elsie! Wake up!”

What was he talking about?

I wasn’t asleep.

But… something about his face—

That raw desperation—

I couldn’t ignore it.

I lowered my head slightly.

“I… have to go with Sherry… so…”

“Sherry…? No way…”

His expression shifted.

Like something had clicked.

And then, his voice broke.

“No! That’s just an illusion! The Devil’s showing you—!”

An… illusion?

No.

That couldn’t be.

This was real.

Sherry was alive.

She had to be.

Because look—she was still holding my hand.

“Elsie! Let’s just leave this stranger behind!”

Another tug on my arm.

“Don’t, Elsie…!”

Two voices.

Two hands pulling me in opposite directions.

Ah—

Noisy.

Noisy, noisy, noisy.

Just be quiet.

I just wanted to stay with someone precious to me.

Why were they trying to stop me?

I turned to glare at the boy—

And my breath caught.

That expression—

So sad.

Like he was breaking.

His voice was quiet. Pleading.

“…Elsie. I know you’re hurting. It’s because I couldn’t protect you… And for that, I’m sorry.”

His grip was warm.

Strong. Careful.

“I get it. You want to go back. But even so… you can’t throw away the present.”

His words grated against something inside me.

Like they didn’t belong.

Like they shouldn’t reach me.

And yet—

I couldn’t help but listen.

Because deep down—

I felt it.

He cared.

“Elsie! You don’t need to listen to him!”

The other voice cut in sharply.

Sherry’s grip tightened.

“You still want to stay with me, right? You don’t want to go back to those painful days, do you?”

“Ah… n-no… I don’t…”

I don’t.

I don’t want to live just to be hated.

I don’t.

I don’t want to see anyone hurt because of me.

I don’t.

Even if I’m gone, I want the people I love to keep smiling.

I don’t.

If I have to die—

Let it be in this sweet dream—

"Elsie..."

Shut up.

Stop calling my name.

Please, just be quiet.

I just want to be left alone—

"No matter how much you want to go back… Even if the present doesn’t seem worth it… You still can’t return to the past."

“…Shut up…”

“So—”

"I SAID SHUT UP! I KNOW THAT ALREADY!"

I knew.

Even if this was just a convenient illusion—!

Even if I was just running away—!

I didn’t care.

I wanted to stay here.

I didn’t want to leave.

Even if I rotted away.

Even if I died.

Just let me sleep.

Just let me rest.

"This is where I want to be! Stop getting in my way!"

I’d throw everything away.

The present.

Even the future.

"I don’t want to go back to that painful reality! It’s not like I—"

Because I don’t have a future anyway—

"Then... I’ll figure something out."

What?

"I’ll... make sure you can enjoy your life from now on."

Liar.

"...How? What can you even do?"

"That’s… I don’t know yet, but..."

"............"

He hesitated.

For just a moment.

Then—

“Sorry. But I’ll make it happen. I’ll make sure you can enjoy today… and tomorrow…”

His face lacked confidence.

But his resolve was firm.

A light that cut through the haze.

It was almost blinding.

I squinted.

“…So… you’re saying you have no plan?”

"Ugh... Y-Yeah. Maybe not. But—"

“…I see.”

I laughed.

Not mockingly.

A real, genuine laugh.

Right… That’s just like him.

Yuri was always like this.

Jumping in without a plan.

Throwing himself headfirst into what he believed was right.

Clumsy.

A little unreliable.

But kind.

And willing to fight for someone else’s sake.

Even after losing Sherry…

Even after thinking I’d never need another partner again…

I still chose him.

Because—

"Elsie! Don’t listen to him!"

A shrill voice pierced my skull, digging straight into my brain.

"Elsie! Are you really going to abandon me!? Your precious partner!?"

“…Sherry.”

"Is that what I am to you?!"

The voice turned desperate.

"It’s not too late! Just forget about the Devil—"

"Enough."

I swatted away the hand of the fake—the thing pretending to be Sherry.

“Ghk—Elsie—”

"Don’t insult her."

I clenched the silver rosary hanging from my neck.

Tight.

Tighter.

As if the pain could erase the emptiness inside me.

Until blood seeped through my fingers.

And then—I channeled holy ether into it.

"Sherry was an exorcist."

The sacred silver connected with me, a bridge between body and faith.

"And she was my partner."

Holy ether surged through my veins, burning away the Devil’s illusion.

"Sherry would never ignore someone’s suffering!"

A rush of divine power exploded from within me.

Purging.

Cleansing.

The illusions shattered.

And then—

The rosary in my grip shifted.

Heavy.

Solid.

A sledgehammer.

And in my other hand—

"Elsie... You okay now?"

—was the hand of my current partner.

“…Yuri. You came to save me?”

“Yeah.”

“…Why? After all the horrible things I said?”

He scratched his cheek, looking a little sheepish.

"That’s not enough to make me hate you. If it was… I would’ve quit being your partner a long time ago."

“…What kind of answer is that?”

I sighed at his vague smile, then glanced down at our still-joined hands.

“So…? This hand?”

“Huh? Oh—s-sorry!”

As Yuri flustered and tried to pull away, I tightened my grip.

I didn’t really know why.

I just… wanted to.

“Eh? Elsie?”

“I never said I minded… It’s easier to circulate holy ether this way…”

“O-Oh? R-Right…!”

Watching him fumble awkwardly, his embarrassment plain as day—

It calmed me down.

Little by little—just a little—the tangled mess inside me began to loosen.

I shifted my gaze from our hands back to Yuri.

“So? How’d you break free from the Devil’s illusions?”

“How…? Same as you. I used my sacred silver weapon to circulate holy ether inside—”

"That’s not what I meant."

I gave him a flat look.

He blinked.

"Uh… um…?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I’m asking how you realized it was an illusion."

"Oh, that… It just felt off."

"Felt off?"

I glanced at Yuri while channeling holy ether to shake off the exhaustion from the illusion attack.

"Yeah, it was just… too convenient. It didn’t feel real."

I frowned. "What kind of illusion did you see?"

"Eh? Ah… um…"

He hesitated, looking away.

"…Oh? Was it something you can’t say out loud?"

His face turned red, and after a brief pause, he mumbled:

"It was… an illusion of making up with you, Elsie."

"…Huh? With me?"

I blinked.

This demon creates illusions based on desire.

And yet—

Yuri’s desire… was something like that?

Not wealth.

Not power.

Not fame.

Just the simple wish to reconcile with me.

A small, trivial dream.

… I see.

This demon doesn’t just craft illusions—it pulls wishes from the heart.

And there are two kinds of wishes.

Wishes for the past, like mine.

And wishes for the future, like Yuri’s.

The former can never be granted.

But the latter… still have the possibility of coming true.

The greedier a person is—the more they cling to the past—the harder it is to break free.

I was particularly ill-suited to resist this demon.

"…Haaah."

"Eh? Was it really that pathetic of an illusion…?"

"Don’t be so self-conscious. That sigh wasn’t directed at you."

I pressed my fingers against my temple, trying to focus.

This demon… I knew it.

It had appeared in the original story.

A being that ensnares its victims by turning their wishes into illusions.

And the source of those illusions—

The flowers.

Scattered across the city, their scent filled the air like a lingering mist.

These flowers were part of the demon’s body.

Their secretions seeped into the atmosphere, inducing hallucinations.

That was how the entire city had been swallowed in illusions at once.

But—

Something felt wrong.

"…Yuri, do you know what time it is?"

"Huh? Wait a sec…"

Yuri reached for the pocket watch around his neck, flipping it open.

His brows furrowed. "Elsie, it’s… still only 2 PM."

I clenched my jaw.

That wasn’t right.

In the original story, this demon could only act at night.

And yet, here we were—

Trapped in its grasp in broad daylight.

I lifted my gaze to the sky.

Red-black clouds churned above, swirling like an open wound.

A sickly crimson glow filtered through them.

Not sunlight.

Not natural.

"…This isn’t an illusion, is it?"

"…No… probably not."

The blood-red sky was real.

Which meant—

Something else was at work here.

I had planned my arrival carefully.

Taking the night train.

Entering the city after sunrise.

Because I knew this demon’s weakness.

It shouldn’t have been able to act in daylight.

And yet—

Here it was.

Which could only mean one thing.

"There are… two demons in this city."

"…What?"

Yuri’s confusion was obvious. He had assumed the city’s abnormality came from a single demon.

But the illusion-inducing flowers—

And this sky, twisting reality itself—

They were different.

If I hadn’t known about the original, I wouldn’t have caught it.

But now—

This wasn’t just a stronger version of the demon I knew.

This was something else entirely.

Demons aren’t supposed to work together.

They’re born from negative emotions. They feed on human suffering.

They don’t cooperate.

And yet—

I exhaled slowly.

Now wasn’t the time to overthink it.

For now—

"Yuri, we’re going to hunt the demon."

"Huh? You already know where it is?"

"If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be saying this."

I turned my gaze toward the alley where Sheri’s illusion had tried to lead me.

Darkness pooled there.

Not just the absence of sunlight—something deeper, something unnatural.

Whoever was manipulating this sky was intentionally shrouding this place in shadows.

Which meant—

"The demon that tried to devour me is definitely ahead."

Demons attack humans because they feed on them.

So why lure me with an illusion?

Because it wanted to devour me.

That’s why I knew.

It was waiting.

Lurking just beyond the darkness.

"…Alright. Let’s go."

Yuri hesitated, then nodded.

He understood the weight of my words.

Lifting his greatsword—his holy silver claymore—he stepped in front of me.

In front of me.

…I scowled.

Yuri knew the difference in our strength.

He knew I should be leading.

And yet—

Did I really look that weak right now?

I almost clicked my tongue.

Not at him.

At myself.

For being so damn pathetic.

"Yuri, can you see in the dark?"

"Eh… not really… w-well, a little."

"Then, switch with me."

"Ugh… sorry…"

I took the lead, activating my darkvision Miracle and stepping ahead of Yuri.

The stretch of ground ahead was unnaturally dark.

…No doubt, it was meant to be that way.

Darkness dulls the human eye, perfect for a demon to strike.

I felt the solid ground beneath me and kept moving forward.

Silence.

A quiet exhale.

I moved deeper without making a sound.

Deeper—

"—!"

Something lunged at me from the side.

It was me—the one leading the way—who was its target.

A spear shot out.

Not a demon’s weapon!

"…Huh, a human?!"

I deflected the spear with the pommel of my warhammer, Sledgehammer.

Through my darkvision, I could make out a man—one of the city guards, probably on patrol.

His eyes were hollow, drool spilling from his lips.

No doubt—he was being controlled by the demon.

"That’s just… tasteless!"

My body groaned in protest.

…Fatigue was setting in.

From the battle in Welapoli to now, I hadn’t had a proper rest.

A long fight would be bad.

But retreating meant letting the demon escape the city.

"I’ll apologize in advance—this is gonna hurt! ‘Streifen’! ‘Lightning Spark’!"

A quick incantation.

It skipped the usual chant, but it wasn’t as precise or powerful.

The ‘Lightning Spark’ I cast was just a shortened version of ‘Holy Lightning Spark.’

It wouldn’t do much to the demon, but it was enough to stun the controlled human.

Then, a sickly-sweet scent hit me.

"Tch—Yuri! Guard against illusions!"

"I’m fine! Already on it!"

Yuri circulated sacred ether through his body, burning away the demon’s hallucinogenic fluids.

Different from the city’s flowers—this stuff could knock you out in seconds.

Another spear came at me.

…More guards?

I knocked it aside with my Sledgehammer.

"Elcie! We’re surrounded!"

I finally noticed—the guards were closing in.

"…Seriously, what a pain!"

I dodged their sluggish attacks, kicking one away.

They were probably numb from the demon’s illusions—no fear, just mindlessly charging.

Yuri was busy too, knocking out controlled civilians with the flat of his greatsword, Claymore.

Then—another wave of that sickly sweetness hit me.

"Gh…!"

Purifying my body with sacred ether and maintaining physical enhancement… easier said than done.

One slip-up, and I’d end up just like the guards.

So—

"Yuri, hold them off!"

"…Got it!"

I left the rest to Yuri and kicked off the ground.

Using one of the guards as a stepping stone, I launched myself forward.

Towards the source of the sweet scent.

With my ether-enhanced agility, I tore through the alley.

"Found you…!"

A massive flower clung to the wall—not a flower, but a demon disguised as one.

Its crimson petals gleamed like tongues, a bloodshot eye bulging in its center.

Thorny tendrils, like rose stems, pierced the brickwork.

Just like I remembered.

But it had grown.

Bigger than before… more monstrous.

The flower-demon spewed a cloud of pink mist at me.

"Ugh—disgusting!"

I cycled ether through my body to purify, but damn it, there was too much!

The hallucinogen flooded in faster than I could cleanse it.

"Take this—‘Burn’! ‘Sacred Flame’!"

Another quick incantation.

This time, a fire Miracle.

Holy flames, deadly to demons.

But the shortened version wouldn’t be enough to finish it.

Still, I chose it anyway.

Because—

"Ugh… ghh…!"

I aimed the Miracle at myself.

The flames burned through my body like a branding iron.

It was a last-ditch effort to purge the demon’s hallucinogenic fluids before they took hold.

Faster than cleansing with raw sacred ether, even if it meant...

I was burning myself in the process.

"‘O Lord, heal the wounded’...! ‘Holy Heal’...!"

Before the pain could take over, I cast a healing Miracle.

It couldn’t fix severe wounds, but it could handle minor burns.

Beneath my charred, torn robes, I felt my skin knit back together.

Then, without pause—

"Quit digging into people’s weaknesses, you disgusting piece of shit demon!"

I swung Sledgehammer at the flower demon.

"Egh—?!"

A thick, viscous fluid slammed into me from the side.

It stuck to my skin, writhing like living tar.

But this wasn’t the flower demon’s doing.

I quickly turned to see the source.

"...Seriously, do you all have to look this gross...?"

A jellyfish-shaped demon, its bell draped in what looked like human intestines.

The underside of its "hood" resembled a flayed corpse, pulsing with twisted life.

Countless pores on its surface released a smoky haze, rising into the air.

The same sickly mist that blotted out the sun.

So this was the culprit.

The demon cloaking the city in darkness.

Two demons against one. Neither seemed to be built for direct combat, though.

At least the flower demon relied on—

"...Ow, shit—?"

A wet squelch. The black sludge on my skin was moving.

It was trying to digest me.

Gnawing through my ether defenses, scraping at my flesh.

...Annoying, but I couldn’t waste time peeling it off.

"............"

Fine.

I’d use it.

My true Miracle Sign.

If I burned my lifespan, these demons would—

"Sorry, Elsie! I’m late!"

Yuri landed beside me, breathing heavily but unharmed.

"...Yuri."

"It’s okay—I knocked out the guards."

I tightened my grip on Sledgehammer.

Maybe we could win without using my Miracle Sign.

But then, the memory of Welapoli’s harbor flashed into my mind.

Yuri, drenched in blood, shielding me.

I clenched my fingers harder.

"Yuri, I’m using my trump card."

I kept my eyes on the demons, never breaking my focus.

"...That Miracle Sign of yours?"

So he figured it out.

That I was a Saint with a Sign.

Good. Saved me the trouble of explaining.

"Yeah. I’ll wipe these demons out—"

"No."

Yuri’s refusal hit me like a punch.

I barely dodged another wave of sludge, stunned, as Yuri sidestepped the flower demon’s tendrils.

"Wha—why?! Don’t screw around!"

"You never use it! That means... there’s a cost, right?!"

Two demons stood before us.

No time for arguments.

"Th-that’s not—! It’s just to hide my Saint status from the Church!"

"I know you, Elsie! You wouldn’t hesitate if that were all!"

"You—ugh! Stubborn idiot!"

I deflected the jellyfish demon’s attack, creating space between us.

"Just listen—"

"Trust me, Elsie!"

His Claymore cut through a tendril cleanly.

The fake intestines hit the cobblestones.

"We can win! Without your Miracle Sign—"

A horizontal slash sent the flower demon crashing back.

"—So trust me!"

I stood there, stunned.

I’d always thought Yuri was weaker.

But battle after battle, he’d grown.

I hadn’t even noticed.

Right.

Yuri wasn’t just someone to protect.

He was my partner.

So, if that’s how it was—

"...Fine. But if I regret this, I’m never forgiving you!"

I raised Sledgehammer, aiming at the demons.

Yuri steadied Claymore beside me.

"Thank you, Elsie...!"

I should be thanking him.

Two demons loomed ahead.

A hopeless situation.

But now...

For the first time, I felt no fear at all.