Chapter 25 – Intentions Don’T Matter (1)

The moment the ominous black door opens, stagnant air rushes out, carrying a foul stench. The stench is worse than imagined, and Irian grabs his nose, stumbling backward and bumping into me. Normally, he’d be disgusted and move away, but he must be too out of it to care.

“Corpse… pieces?”

As Irian says, the room is littered with countless pieces of flesh.
Not just one person’s worth. Not two, not three, but the pieces of dozens of humans. Human flesh, pieced together and sewn up, is scattered everywhere.

“Cure. Purify.”

In the game, it only caused a minor poisoning status effect, but just in case, I cast divine magic of detoxification and purification, and only then does the terrible stench disappear.

Even Cha Hyewon, who already knew what it would be like, hesitates to enter, perhaps because of the grotesqueness beyond imagination. But she takes a deep breath and strides into the room as if she never hesitated, looking around.

Irian, provoked by the gall of his annoying rival, quickly detaches himself from me and enters the room with an indifferent expression. If it weren’t for this atmosphere, it would have been fun to tease him, but oh well.

‘It’s similar to the illustration.’

In the game, the moment you enter this room, an illustration depicting the scene appears.
A grotesque illustration that fills the screen. It’s drawn in an extremely realistic style, making it look like a photograph, which makes it even more unsettling. I almost fell over from the jump scare because of it.

‘That shelf over there is… intestines?’

My stomach churns, but I endure it and scan the shelves. I need to find the eyeball. The eyeball in the bottle of strange liquid.

‘What a disgusting concept.’

The sight makes even me, who’s seen a lot, feel sick. I want to open up the brains of the developers. I wonder if Cha Hyewon and Irian are okay.

“Here. I found it.”

Cha Hyewon is the first to find the eyeball. Irian was just looking around, not knowing anything.
The round eyeball is in a glass bottle filled with liquid, just as it was extracted. Even the numerous optic nerve bundles attached to the eyeball are still intact.

Cha Hyewon holds the glass bottle with just her fingertips, as if touching something dirty, and hands it to me. I take it and take out the photo from my pocket, placing it against the eyeball. The eyeball moves, staring at the photo, then spins around and begins to emit a purple light.

“What the heck is that? I can feel demonic power from this eyeball.”
“Explanations later. Let’s deal with this first.”

I shut Irian up and follow the purple beam of light emitted by the eyeball out of the room. What am I going to explain later? My head is a mess, but I found the second key, so now I just need to gather the group and find the last key, and it’s over.
Of course, after dealing with the mobs blocking our way.

As expected, monsters block the stairs.
One is a fat monster with a disgusting appearance, as if covered in bubbles, and the other is a bizarre creature with an extra long arm sticking out of its back.
Cha Hyewon, who expected the appearance of the mobs, quickly rushes at the three-armed one. Naturally, Irian, with a disgusted expression, swings his sword at the fat one covered in bubbles.

“Shield. Purify.”

Irian’s sword strikes cause the pustules on the monster’s body to burst, splattering disgusting yellow pus-like liquid everywhere. Knowing the appearance of the pus monster, I activate the divine magic I had prepared in advance. A shield surrounds Irian and Cha Hyewon, preventing the pus from splashing on them, and at the same time, I quickly neutralize the poison with purification.

‘Holy Strike.’

As expected, I also give a beatdown to another monster that suddenly pops out of the ceiling. The mace-shaped divine power that extends out blows away the monster’s upper body, ending the battle.
…But why are you guys just watching?

“If a monster attacks the rear guard, shouldn’t you help? Why are you both just watching?”

As if telling me to handle it myself, both Cha Hyewon and Irian just finish off the monsters they were assigned to and watch. Seeing that, I feel a surge of anger.
The two women glance at each other and then start chattering as if they had been waiting for this.

“You should be able to handle that much on your own.”
“I thought he was going to block it for me.”

Oh my, this is ridiculous.
I can understand Cha Hyewon telling me to handle it myself, but Irian, that brat. He doesn’t even know the grace of being raised since childhood, and he gestures at Cha Hyewon, saying he thought she would save him. It seems like raising children is useless. Is this what a parent feels?

“How childish. Are you sulking because me and her were talking?”
“Nonsense. Do you think I’d sulk over something like that? I just thought the person who rushed out first would deal with it first and protect the rear guard?”

Now they’re bickering with each other. Can this heroine party even work?

“Let’s move quickly. I want to finish this today and get some rest.”

I tap the glass bottle containing the eyeball that emits a purple light, and as I go down the stairs, more monsters attack. I easily sweep them away again and leave the mansion.
Normally, this place would be quite difficult, given its ominous appearance, but with the three of us, who are overpowered even in the beginner zone, it’s no problem. Above all, since we can bypass the time-consuming puzzles and clue-finding, it’s so easy.

I wonder if our cute Irian knows that she’s getting through this easily thanks to me. Looking at her back, feeling like I’m watching a spoiled daughter who doesn’t know her father’s hardships, she’s quick to notice and glares at me as if asking what I’m looking at.

As per the pre-arranged signal, I shoot a divine power bullet into the air, causing it to explode and scatter sparkling light. Cha Hyewon also does something similar with a magic bullet to send a signal.
Soon, the members of both sides quickly begin to gather.

The elite of the Order, as well as Cha Hyewon’s subordinates, are quite skilled, easily dealing with the monsters. Everyone is skilled, so they gather in an instant.
Among them, the members of the Apostle Church and even Lilith are mixed in. I ignore Lilith, who is looking around, as if searching for something, and winks at me when she sees me, and ask Cha Hyewon.

“Why are you bringing those guys around?”
“Who? Oh. Well… they said they’re looking for someone. I’ll tell you the details later.”

They must have a lot to say to each other.
When everyone is gathered and the commotion has subsided to some extent, Sir Jacob steps forward.

“What is that glass bottle you’re holding?”
“It’s a key to reveal the secret, Sir Jacob. It seems we can follow this purple light.”
“Hmm. Will your administrator also come with us?”
“Of course. We’ve already finished talking about it.”

Ahem. Diana’s gaze is painful.
I quickly stick next to Sir Jacob at the front and volunteer to be the navigator. The light emitted by the eyeball in the glass bottle is so clear that even if I’m at the back of the group, there’s no problem following the light, but considering that our saintess might poke me in the ribs with her displeased mood… I’d rather be at the front.

“Where did you get this? Is it some kind of demon’s eyeball?”
“I found it in an old mansion. And this photo too.”

I show Sir Jacob the photo and explain what has happened so far, explaining the quest as I had guessed. I’m a bit nervous that Irian, who is snorting next to me, might jump in and say, ‘That didn’t happen!’

“Connecting these things with the fact that Mayor Grunhild loved his wife very much but lost her early… my guess is that he tried to ‘resurrect the dead.’”
“Hmm. Then what is this plague that turns people into monsters? Is this also Mayor Grunhild’s doing?”

I scoff inwardly at the old man’s subtle probing. That old geezer is always so sly.

“I don’t know about that. Something will come up if we follow this.”

* * *

As evening approaches, the citizens watch with anticipation as the Order and the administrator’s group, who had entered the quarantine zone early in the morning, come out together.
They believe that these people will solve this crisis. For the citizens cornered, a glimmer of hope is what gives them the strength to endure.

“What is that purple light? I’ve been seeing it since earlier.”
“Yeah. It stretches all the way to the end? Where is it coming from… oh? Look over there. Why is the light coming from that direction?”

The citizens, already uneasy about the purple beam of light that reminds them of the monsters’ purple eyes, watch with anxiety as the purple beam crosses the city. They begin to murmur as they see the purple beam coming from the arms of a young man in a priest’s robe at the front of the Order and the administrator’s group.
Soon, the citizens realize the beginning and end of the purple beam.

The light that started from the priest’s arms at the front is heading towards the city hall.
Unable to speak to the Order and the administrator’s group, who are walking towards the city hall with grim expressions, one or two citizens begin to follow them, and soon, countless citizens follow behind them.

The self-governing corps, who were maintaining order, shout for everyone to disperse, saying there is a risk of infection. But the citizens, whose anxiety has reached its peak, cling to the hope that the Order and the administrator will solve something, and they continue to follow.

“This is a big problem. What if an epidemic breaks out with so many people gathered?”
“Didn’t we purify them with magic before leaving the quarantine zone? And we used divine magic too.”

From the start, the ‘Demon Sickness’ is not an epidemic. It’s just that people who drank diluted ‘Demon Blood’ have ‘demonized’ and turned into monsters. Well, everyone will know soon.
Listening to the group’s whispers, we arrive at the city hall, where the guards block our way.

“What’s going on all of a sudden! How can you bring the citizens here like this!”
“The citizens are not our doing. Where is the mayor? Is he still in the city hall?”
“Sir Grunhild is in his office. Please wait while I get permission.”

The captain of the guard’s words are correct, but the mayor is the prime suspect in this whole situation. The gazes of the three at the front, Sir Jacob in the center, and Cha Hyewon and I on the left and right, meet.

‘It would be simple to just barge in and drag him out since the mayor is the culprit. But this isn’t a game, and if we threaten the mayor, who we only have circumstantial evidence against, I don’t know how the city people will react.’

After thinking for a moment, Sir Jacob nods, and the tense guards let out a sigh of relief.
In the meantime, I secretly call Irian and whisper in her ear. Seeing the nimble movements of the red-haired knight slipping out of the group, I can rest assured.
While we wait, with the background noise of the gathered citizens murmuring, a soldier who went to deliver the news to the city hall runs back and whispers in the guard captain’s ear.

“It seems you’ll have to come back tomorrow. The council members, including Sir Grunhild, are in a meeting.”

Well, Grunhild isn’t stupid, he must have noticed something with this purple light.

“Tell them again. It’s urgent. Tell them we seem to have found the cause of this situation.”

Sir Jacob’s deep voice silences the commotion in front of the city hall for a moment. The murmuring of the gathered citizens intensifies, and when the guard who came out of the city hall again tells the guard captain, who has a pale face, to refuse again.

“Boo!”
“Mayor, come out! Show yourself!”

The citizens’ shouts begin to spread.
As Grampoin is a large city, even though the ‘Demon Sickness’ is rampant, there are still many citizens. Thousands of people gathered in the square in front of the city hall, yelling and shouting, and citizens who were hiding in various places began to gather one by one. Those who heard the reason from the surrounding citizens also joined the protest, and as time passed, the jeers and shouts grew louder.

“What is this commotion! Everyone, disperse! Disperse!”

The guard captain’s pale and desperate cry is drowned out by the citizens’ shouts, and while the guards are at a loss, looking at their captain,
Grunhild, with a haggard face, appears with the city council members and guards.

Even though this is a free city, this is not the modern era, and the city’s influential figures are like nobles. The citizens who were shouting become silent in an instant at the sight of the mayor and the city’s influential figures.
Grunhild asks through the large city hall’s main gate, which is made of bars.

“Did you seek me? I heard you have found the cause of this situation… I hope it’s not a lie.”

Sir Jacob’s gaze glances at my arms. The purple beam of light emitted from the glass bottle hidden in my arms is still pointing towards the inside of the city hall.
It would have been easier if it had been directed at Grunhild, but unfortunately, this eyeball is directed at the sealed demon lord. Unless the mayor is carrying it around, it won’t be directed at him.

“If we follow this light, we will find a clue. So, open the doors of the city hall.”
“…This ominous purple light is a clue? You want me to believe that?”
“Since it emits an ominous purple light, wouldn’t there be a clue at its destination?”

He’s rolling his eyes around, not showing any sign of opening the doors.
In the game, a choice appears here.

Either argue with Grunhild or force our way through.
This is the game world, but it’s not a game, so the world won’t stop and a choice won’t appear, and since Sir Jacob is the leader of the group, I can’t do as I please.