A Dark Fantasy Spy

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Veronica’s words came out so suddenly.

Spoken in a calm tone, they felt almost unreal.

But Veronica’s gaze was serious, and her lips were tightly closed. In that moment, I instinctively sensed the truth behind her words—there was not a hint of falsehood in them.

“What’s going on?”

“…….”

Veronica let out a long breath, bitterly tasting her words before finally speaking up.

—

Episode 12 – The Strongest Mage in History

—

The incident began with Lucia’s unexpected action.

“When the report came in about a wicked entity presumed to be a demon appearing, I had a vague feeling that Lucia might cause some trouble.”

The sudden appearance of the undead and the disappearance of hundreds of residents, and wounds that even a priest’s healing arts couldn’t mend, growing putrid instead.

Faced with a series of evidence, Lucia instinctively sensed that a demon had appeared here. She confirmed through documents in Archbishop Theodosius’s office that the demon had taken residence in Inquisitor Agato, who was also known as monk Romain Cher.

“Foreboding feelings are always spot on, they say.”

The moment Lucia saw the letter from the Archbishop delivered to the Holy See, Veronica could vaguely guess what Lucia might do next.

“She will definitely go after the demon. Even if there’s no one to help her, she’d go alone. Somehow, I just thought she’d do that. And so she did.”

Lucia took me along, deeply intertwined in this series of events, to exorcise the demon.

Using a talisman, the bones of Saint Balthazar, and a map, one of the holy relics, we detected the energy of the possessed person. Though we stumbled into traps along the way, Lucia, having somehow survived, displayed her wit to subdue the demon and conduct a Grand Exorcism.

It ultimately failed due to interruptions, but thanks to Veronica, who brought support, we managed to corner the demon.

All the minions of the demon summoned from hell returned there. The necromancer, presumed to be the mastermind behind the plot, had his soul devoured by the demon.

The demon, having healed from the wounds inflicted by Veronica, struggled to escape, but the wand of Inquisitor Agato, thrown by Lucia, who was under a curse and disoriented, pierced the demon and the necromancer’s corpse, sealing its movements.

What happened after that is a story everyone knows.

“The sewers collapsed, and everything was buried under a mountain of rubble: the bodies of the residents, the remains of Muspel, the necromancer turned into a mummy, and the demon that had possessed Inquisitor Agato.”

“…That’s right.”

“When I was carried by the Colonel, I honestly wished I could just stay buried forever in that rural backwater at such a young age—but as I desperately fled, I ended up surviving. My sister knows what happened next, right?”

Her wave-like purple hair swayed gently. Francesca nodded in response.

“The ground around the joint sewer completely collapsed. Due to the risk of further collapses, rescue teams couldn’t enter, leading to fatalities, and many were left homeless.”

“That’s right,” Veronica murmured as she took a puff from her cigar.

“To be honest, I thought that was the end of it.”

A mountain of rubble easily surpassing several tons came crashing down.

No matter how much of a demon it was, the possessed body was still a human one. It needed to receive nutrients from the outside and could be crushed by impact. Even a demon that could withstand being shot in the head would have a hard time coming back if it was crushed under such heavy rocks.

After all, even the High Priest, who had hunted demons for centuries, once rolled boulders down from cliffs to seal a demon, so Veronica deemed it unlikely for the demon buried under debris to still be alive.

But it was not the case.

“Colonel, do you remember when I checked on your condition yesterday at the cathedral?”

“Yes, I remember. You mentioned some kind of prayer was cast upon me.”

“Exactly. The Prayer of Protection. It was cast by Lucia.”

Leaning against the sofa, Veronica crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

“While checking your condition, I felt the energy of the demon still lingering in your wound. Normally, all traces a demon leaves on the surface vanish when it returns to hell, right? This does take some time….”

Veronica tilted her head, letting out a thoughtful hum. Her brows furrowed as though it were a troublesome matter.

“But when I met you today, I found that your condition had not improved at all.”

“Not improved…?”

“To be exact, the demon’s energy was still faintly present in your wound.”

She added that if the demon had indeed died, the energy should have completely vanished by now.

“Of course, while the condition has improved significantly compared to before, I still don’t know what happened to you last night.”

“…….”

I had some idea of what that event might be, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. Veronica maintained a serious expression as she continued to explain.

“While it’s true that the energy has faded and your condition has improved, the fact is that the demon’s energy has not fully disappeared. I also checked and confirmed that the energy still lingers in the bodies of the Inquisition officers, excluding you. This situation can only mean one thing.”

“…The demon is still alive.”

The saint nodded.

“Yes. This means it’s still alive.”

A declaration of unwavering resolve that left no shred of hope behind.

It was a scenario I didn’t want to imagine and had never really considered, but now I had to accept it.

That the demon was still alive.

At that moment, Francesca, who had been listening to the ongoing conversation, spoke up.

“Do you have any idea where the demon might be?”

“Roughly? It’s probably still buried beneath the rubble.”

“…….”

“Anyway! Now that we’ve confirmed the demon is alive, we can’t just sit back and do nothing, right? Once is enough for what we’ve been through!”

Veronica, who had been slouched on the sofa, jumped up vigorously. Dusting herself off as if shaking off the remnants, she tossed the half-burnt cigar into the ashtray.

Then, with a slightly refreshed expression, she nonchalantly continued speaking.

“Then we should start preparing.”

At least that’s how it appeared on the surface.

“Follow me. I’ll introduce you to a place where we can stay for a while.”

—

From the moment the demon’s survival was confirmed, we began preparing for the battle that would one day come.

However, there was one very important matter that came first.

“The demon is buried underground right now, but as long as it’s alive, there are almost no safe places in the North.”

As long as that thing roamed free, finding safety anywhere in the North wasn’t easy. Particularly if I recalled how a flock of unlucky crows once chased after me in a hotel or Francesca’s office.

“So where is a safe place?”

“Unless we’re talking about rifts that emit dense magic so fearsome that even demons might hesitate to approach them or the Duke’s castle, there’s practically only the cathedral left as an option. This is considered the safest area.”

Even still, the Cathedral of Saint Basil, where I currently resided, was among the most trustworthy and comfortable places in the North.

A house of faith boasting a thousand-year history.

A building established above the birthplace of Saint Basil, the saint who slayed the demon.

The bones of Saint Basil lie beneath the cathedral, along with the holy water said to flow from rock split by the Eastern Wise Men.

Both priests and monks, as well as Inquisition officers and knights, and even two saints, never before existing simultaneously in the cult’s entire history, resided there.

Under these conditions, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a fortress rather than just a safe house.

“Therefore, Colonel, it’s best if you stay here for the time being. Since you’ve directly faced the demon before. Of course, that includes our sister and the Hero too.”

“…I appreciate the suggestion, but I’ll decline. As a mage, I don’t need to stay here.”

“I’m saying this out of concern for my sister! Don’t refuse, just stay comfortably, you stubborn girl!”

“…….”

Veronica asked that for the time being, all of us should stay at the cathedral.

Francesca, affiliated with the Magic Tower, despised the idea of staying at the cathedral, but after being forcibly assigned a room by Veronica, who claimed to be her ‘elder sister,’ she found herself cornered.

While the saint persuaded the alchemist, I explained the situation to Camila without including the details about the demon, simply framing it as an issue of security.

Not revealing the truth to Camila was due to Veronica’s request.

“The Hero isn’t directly involved with the demon yet. While my sister is already deeply involved since she’s the head of the Magic Tower, there’s really no need to pull the Hero into this too, right?”

“So you mean there’s no need to drag them into this?”

“That’s right. Well, unless the Hero decides to volunteer for capturing the demon themselves.”

Whether it was because she was a saint or simply because she had some belief in her own strength, Veronica seemed confident that they could handle the demon with just the personnel from the cathedral.

It wasn’t a baseless confidence.

She was a priest who had previously sent two demons back to hell. While it would be folly to belittle the potential danger, Veronica was considerably more proficient at battling demons than Lucia, who was still unrefined. With sufficient skill came abundant confidence.

Of course, Veronica wasn’t the only one going after the demon.

After all, both Francesca and I were involved in this matter, and even Lucia was regarded by Veronica as “a child with talents superior to mine in conducting a Grand Exorcism,” so we all had to go after the demon.

Clap. Clap. With claps to garner attention, Veronica turned and smiled at me and Francesca.

“Alright, Colonel, you’ll need to prepare to go catch the demon with my sister and me. Do you have any weapons?”

“I do have a pistol authorized by the Imperial Ministry of Defense.”

“Great! Is it with you now? Ah, then hand it over.”

I handed over the pistol I had taken from my pocket. Veronica was awestruck as she examined the pistol, which fit perfectly in her hand, unlike the revolver.

What exactly was she planning to do with it? I couldn’t conceal my curiosity and asked her.

“So what’s the plan with that?”

“…Huh?”

“You asked for it because you had a plan, right?”

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got everything figured out.”

Veronica grinned mischievously.

A playful yet wicked smile. Her pearly white teeth shone against her red lips.

“It’s hard to explain, but you’ll understand when you see it.”

“…?”

—

In the kitchen of the Cathedral of Saint Basil.

Urgent footsteps echoed through.

Bang! The door flung open violently. The first to enter, a middle-aged priest, wildly glanced around like a madman, quickly raising his voice.

“No, Saint! What on earth are you doing?!”

Veronica, standing in the kitchen, smiled brightly.

“Catch them.”

“…Yes, Saint.”

The knight who received the order captured the middle-aged priest. While he subdued the flailing priest, more priests filed into the kitchen. The knights, responding to the saint’s call, apprehended them all with reluctant expressions.

The priests flopped around like fish thrown on the floor.

“Saint! Please, you can’t do this!”

“Stop! Please, don’t!”

“Get a grip! This is absolutely not the time for this!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Veronica dug into her ear with her pinky and then wore a face that said ‘What’s that barking?’ as she stepped in front of a boiling cauldron.

A roaring furnace and a massive iron pot.

Inside, boiling water filled to the brim.

“What’s all the fuss about this…?”

“Fire! Put it out! Right now!”

“Oh, just wait a minute, Brother!”

Standing in front of the furnace, Veronica dropped something into the boiling water. From a distance, it seemed like food ingredients, but up close, it was clear that what was now splashing in the water were definitely not food materials.

A silver glimmering rosary cross, a large cross for ceremonial use, a jingle bell—the holy relics cherished by the cathedral. Veronica relentlessly cast these treasures into the bubbling water.

And then,

“Huh…!”

The middle-aged priest clutched his heart.

Desperate pleas from the priests filled the room.

“Stop! Please, just stop!”

“You can’t do this! Think again before you boil that, Saint!”

Veronica opened a container placed in the kitchen.

A pure white wrist bone. The bone rested in an ornate wooden box.

The relic of Saint Balthazar.

The saint threw this sacred item, which had been carefully kept in the cult’s vault, into the boiling water.

“NOOOOOO!!”

Like witnesses to the opening of hell’s gate, the priests writhed in anguish as they screamed, while Veronica stirred the cauldron vigorously.

Whenever the relic of Saint Balthazar tried to climb up the side of the pot, she would tap it back down with the ladle, ensuring it was pushed back into the water. Then, to prevent it from rising again, she pressed down harder with the ladle, burying the bone at the bottom of the cauldron.

Holy relics and sacred items boiling in the cauldron.

Holding the ladle, Veronica smiled contentedly.

“With all of this crammed into the holy water, this is going to have a marvelous effect. With this level of holy water, you might not even need to bless the Colonel’s gun; the moment it splashes on the demon, it should send it straight to hell, don’t you think?”

“…….”

I closed my eyes, staring at the saint who was boiling the remains of the deceased saint.

“…That’s insane.”

No matter how I thought about it, Veronica didn’t seem to be of sound mind.