Chapter 17

“……Poison.”

Penny picked up one of the arrowheads scattered across the dark cave floor and sniffed it. The distinct, pungent odor told her it was coated with a specific plant-based toxin.

“Can’t use big arrows in a cave, huh? So they went with small ones laced with poison. Clever.”

“Surprisingly rational… for demons.”

“No ordinary demon’s got that kind of smarts. Means there’s a tactical leader down here calling the shots.”

Rex grimaced, furious at his own failure. While his companion, Flatche, had sensed the ambush and deflected the arrows, he’d been too focused on fighting—letting their comrades get kidnapped right under his nose.

As someone who prided himself on being the strongest, the weight of his mistake was crushing.

“If we move now, we might catch up. Let’s go after Flatche, now!”

“Y-yes!”

According to Flatche, the enemy had specifically targeted her. If they left her captured, there was no telling what horrors awaited her.

Driven by that fear, Rex began slamming the hilt of his sword against the cave walls—checking for hollow spaces, desperate for any clue to rescue their stolen comrade.

────But.

“No, we’re retreating, Rex. We’re heading back to town.”

“……Huh?”

Penny, the kingdom’s top general, had made his decision: withdrawal.

“Sister Karin. Do we have any Pedidokutake antidote in stock?”

“…Nope. Didn’t exactly plan for poison arrows in a cave, y’know? Figured if any hit us, a detox spell would cover it.”

“Then how many more times can you cast it?”

“If I don’t use any other magic… five times.”

Rex’s face darkened at that. Five uses wouldn’t be enough if they kept getting ambushed.

Deep down, the rational part of him knew—without a reliable way to counter the poison, retreat was the only option. But his emotions for Flatche outweighed logic.

“Damn it… My bad for not being prepared.”

“Nah, antidotes are bulky. Unless you’ve got intel beforehand, carrying ‘em isn’t practical. Not your fault, Karin.”

Karin hung her head in guilt. But realistically, countless poisons existed in warfare—no adventurer could possibly carry antidotes for all of them.

Flatche was just unlucky. Death was a constant shadow in their line of work. That was all there was to it.

“Don’t panic. If we get wiped out here, it’s over. We’ll regroup with night-vision gear and proper antidotes.”

“But Flatche, she’s—”

“From what I’ve heard, they value her highly, right? They won’t kill her outright. And she’s tough—no matter what they do to her, she’ll endure.”

“Flatche…”

The party’s expressions darkened as they imagined the suffering she might face. Tortured for information. Dismembered under the guise of experiments. A captured female swordsman wouldn’t be treated kindly.

“What are you standing around for?! We’re saving her, aren’t we?!”

“Clarice?!”

“If we’ve got time to mope, we’ve got time to run! She’s waiting for us!”

“Clarice is right. We retreat, resupply, and move fast.”

“…Fine. Hang in there, Flatche.”

Silent tears streaked Rex’s face as he turned back toward town, resolve hardening. No matter what, he’d save her.

────Meanwhile, Flatche was having the time of her life in a dream, laughing triumphantly after defeating Rex.

---

“Now then, let’s begin the execution. Any last words, Archmage?”

“Before that—answer me. If you brand the condemned as traitors, does that mean you can slaughter as many ‘allies’ as you please?”

And so, Jaliba—the hated foe—found herself cornered by an unfamiliar, beast-like demon.

But as for the infighting unfolding before my eyes… what should I do? If I pick a side, Jaliba (who might operate on me) seems the better choice. Problem is, I’m useless unarmed. With a sword, maybe. But bare-handed? This weak body can’t do squat. And there’s no blade in sight here.

Even if I’m freed, I’m stuck. Best to radiate "I’m not involved" vibes and stay quietly tied up.

“Simple, really. The Demon King ordered me here. Said you’d betray us soon, so I should finish you off.”

“Lies! Last we met, His Majesty gladly funded my research!”

“Yep. And now that it’s complete, you’re expendable.”

Huh. So this guy’s acting on the Demon King’s orders.

Harsh. Use Jaliba for research, then toss her aside? If I were her, I’d start a coup.

“Who else among demons is as skilled in magic as I?! My worth isn’t so trivial!”

“That’s why the Demon King was disappointed. ‘If only she hadn’t betrayed us,’ he said.”

Wait, is Jaliba actually a traitor?

I don’t know much about demon politics, but maybe the zombie did something. Oh—did she seriously plot a coup?

From the sound of it, the Demon King’s ruthless enough to warrant one.

“I—I’ve done no such thing! These accusations are baseless!”

“Evidence? Right there.”

The demon smirked and pointed—at me. Uh, I’m not involved here.

If anything, I’m the result of their research. Unless… studying humans itself counts as treason?

“That human’s appearance says it all. Give up, Jaliba.”

“What about him?! What’re you implying?!”

“Don’t you recognize that face? Reminds me of when we first met. That body… it’s yours from when you were human, isn’t it?”

“I merely used my own clone as a convenient vessel!”

“No. You… want to become human again, don’t you?”

The wolf demon’s accusation was baffling.

This body… is Jaliba’s? Now that he mentions it, though gaunt and ragged, my face does resemble hers.

Hold on. What does that even mean?

“Your goal sounded noble. ‘If we can resurrect human corpses, chaos will follow.’ Soldiers who escape death would be suspected as spies. Commanders trusted by their men would secretly be ours.”

“Exactly! A flawless strategy…!”

“Then why bother with body-swapping? Why transplant dead brains into your clones?”

“A reanimated corpse with a loyal zombie’s mind would never betray us! More reliable than brainwashing!”

“Wrong.”

The demon coldly dismissed Jaliba’s frantic (and slightly blue-faced) excuses.

“If that were possible, any zombie turned human would flee. Why obey the Demon King after getting your humanity back?”

"......"

"And that applies to you as well, doesn’t it? If you could just return to your original human body, you’d eventually become a troublesome enemy—a human mage opposing us. So the Demon King’s orders were clear: kill you now, before that happens."

"This is baseless… mere conjecture—!"

With those final words, the man slowly extended his claws, a savage grin spreading across his face as he closed in on Jaliba.

"Ah, this brings back memories, Jaliba. Reminds me of the first time we met."

"......"

"During the war centuries ago. After pillaging a human village, I gave you zombie flesh as part of the festivities. Remember?"

"As if I could forget......"

"When forced into a living host, zombie flesh begins to corrode them, bringing agony until death. And if they’re lucky, they rise again as one of us—a fellow zombie."

...So that’s how zombies are born? Then they were all once ordinary humans?

Right. They’re reanimated corpses. Of course they used to be human.

"The sounds you made back then were hilarious. While your family writhed and screamed, you alone moaned in pleasure. You really took to the zombie flesh, huh?"

"...Shut up."

"As your family died shrieking, you alone enjoyed yourself, joining our ranks. But deep down… you’d rather have stayed human, wouldn’t you? So much so that you spent centuries developing a way to revive corpses by implanting brains into them."

"...Ngh—"

"What a shame. Your dedication was real. Your magic, your research—all genuine. But your loyalty to the Demon King? That was always a lie."

"SO WHAT IF IT WAS?!"

Unable to endure the demon’s taunts any longer, Jaliba let out a scream-like roar and staggered to her feet.

"What’s wrong with hating him?!"

"Ahhh, there’s the truth."

"My father! My mother! My brother! My sister! They were all slaughtered in such a horrific way—how could I NOT hate him?!"
"At the end of the day, you were once human. A lowly zombie like you could never comprehend the Demon King’s greatness."

"I’ll never accept this! I was so close…! I was finally going to shed this rotting, hideous body and become human again!"

...Jaliba’s scream came from the depths of her soul.

So that’s why she was so reluctant to damage my body.

Whether this was her only clone or she had others, she’d been desperately researching a way to return to humanity.

Jaliba suddenly swung her staff, but the wolf demon was mere meters away—at this range, a mage stood no chance.

The moment she began chanting, the demon tackled her again, slamming her into the wall with a sickening crunch. Her arm—the one holding the staff—was torn clean off.

"It’s over, Jaliba. The Demon King asked me to pass on a message: ‘Your research was quite useful. Even if you betray us in death, you’ll always be one of us.’"

"Shut up…! I’m nothing like you…! Even as a zombie, my heart was always human…!"

"Oh? Weren’t you nearly killed by humans when you fled to one of their villages? They called you a ‘monster.’ Do you still think of them as your kin?"

"Shut up! If I could just switch bodies, if I could stop being a zombie… I could rejoin them!"

"How many humans have you killed? How many have you dissected as ‘failed experiments’? Did you really think they’d welcome you back after that?"

"I had no choice! The Demon King ordered it! How could I refuse?! IT’S NOT MY FAULT!"

"Hahaha. Hey, human over there. You’re conscious, right? What do you think of this pitiful zombie?"

The demon suddenly turned to me, grinning like this was all some grand joke.

Did I hate Jaliba? Well… I pitied her circumstances, but… if not for her, I wouldn’t be—

"You’re a victim too, aren’t you? Killed by her underlings? Do you not resent her?"

"...That’s—"

"See, Jaliba? Look at that human’s face—full of hatred. Even if you became human again, they’d never accept you. You’re a fool to the very end."

Jaliba’s expression twisted in despair as she saw my reaction.

...To fulfill her selfish wish, she had killed me and countless others. No matter how much I pitied her, I couldn’t bring myself to forgive that.

"Well then. Time to die, Jaliba. You won’t even get to live on as a zombie. You’ll be nothing but a silent lump of flesh, rotting away until your brain decays or the worms consume you."

"No… No, I was so close… Just one more day… Just one more day, and I…!"

"You brought this on yourself. Betraying the Demon King, clinging to this foolish dream of becoming human again—this is the end you deserve. Rot in regret in the next life."

Jaliba crawled desperately toward the exit, gasping for breath, her face twisted in a final bid for survival.

The demon watched her with amusement, slowly raising his claws to crush her skull.

No... STOP.

What Jaliba did was unforgivable—but did she really deserve to die like this?!

"See ya, traitor scum."

"I... am... HUMAN—!"

Squelch.

A sickening sound filled the room as the wolf demon smashed Jaliba’s skull apart.

"...Disgusting. Her brain was already rotting."

Wiping Jaliba’s gore from his hand with a grimace, the demon then turned to me with a grin.

"Hey there, little Jaliba clone. Got a present for ya."

"...Me? What the hell are you planning?"

"Ever heard what happens when you force zombie flesh into a living human? If it takes, you turn. If not? You die. But don’t worry—your body’s based on hers. Odds are good you’ll make it."

"You can’t be serious—"

"My hand’s all dirty now. Need something to wipe it on. So, human..."

He raised his still-dripping arm, stepping closer as the stench of decay filled the air.

"Mind if I use you?"

His claw, slick with rotting viscera, reached for my neck.

"Don’t...!"

"Relax. If the flesh takes, they say it feels real good. Jaliba here screamed like she was in ecstasy the first time. Wonder what sound you’ll make?"

"You sick bastard—!"

My protests meant nothing. His frozen smile never wavered as his filthy claws grazed my skin—

——Then, WHITE.

A searing pain exploded through my body, as if my blood had turned to fire—

BOOM.

A deafening blast shook the chamber.

My vision flickered, spots dancing as the ringing in my ears slowly faded. The wolf demon was shouting somewhere in the distance. When my sight returned, his fur was charred, his body scorched—as if something had detonated right in front of him.

Then—

"————I descend, here and now. By the name of the Divine, I become the blade of judgment that smites evil."

A voice, clear and bright as a chapel bell, rang through the dim cavern.

"Where cries for salvation ring out, I shall answer. Where voices of despair weep, I shall embrace them with boundless mercy. This world... needs love."

I turned, helplessly drawn to the sound—

And there stood a saint.

Her hair shimmered like spun gold, her posture that of a maiden in prayer. In the gloom of the cave, she glowed.

"I am Clarice. The mightiest archmage of this land—and the embodiment of love for all."

But her eyes burned crimson.

Rage, pure and blazing, radiated from her as she fixed the demon with a glare.

——Is that really Clarice?

None of her usual cheer remained. This was something else—something holy, wrathful, like a god stepping into mortal flesh.

"Now then."

Her voice was ice. Her grip on her staff turned her knuckles white, as if she were crushing bone.

"Demon."

She spoke not as a girl, but as an executioner pronouncing sentence.

"...Do you possess love?"