When a reward is promised, passion burns even hotter.
Having secured the promise, Joanna became more fervent than ever in her recent endeavors.
“As the faithful servant of Lord Dantalion, I will absolutely succeed in the task bestowed upon me!”
“Well, if you find anything difficult, you may seek my counsel.”
“No need.
I will deliver results that will surely satisfy you!”
Dantalion had thought this before, but once Joanna was set ablaze, there was no stopping her.
Her eyes sparkled with pure enthusiasm, making it impossible to hold her back.
How could anyone stop someone so eagerly looking forward to success?
Having never raised a child, Dantalion had only one course of action.
“Alright, I’ll be expecting great things.
But don’t overwork yourself—if it gets too hard, seek help anytime.”
All he could do was encourage her and hope she wouldn’t do anything too reckless.
The moment she received permission, Joanna grabbed a few gold coins and dashed out of the room.
“Miss Emily!
I need you right away!”
“Huh?
What’s going on all of a sudden—
Kyaaaah!?
W-Wait, don’t tear the door down!”
“Come out now!”
It seemed Emily was part of the necessary preparations.
Hearing the screams from the neighboring room, Dantalion merely twitched and moved toward the window.
Seeing Joanna so passionate, he couldn’t just sit back and wait idly.
“Noir, are you playing on the roof as usual?”
“Kraaah!”
From the inn’s ceiling, Noir, who had been secretly following Joanna, revealed itself.
Flapping its wings, the creature landed on the windowsill, tilting its head and blinking its three eyes.
It was still too young to communicate telepathically, but it was clearly asking what was going on.
“Will you fly me over the city?”
“Kyaaaah!”
As if it were a given, Noir flapped its wings eagerly.
Noir wasn’t shameless enough to refuse an order from its master, Dantalion.
However, asking the creature to work while it was enjoying itself required some compensation.
“Here…
I suppose I can spare this much.”
“Kraaah?”
A droplet, resembling the seeds of a pomegranate, formed on Dantalion’s fingertip.
Noir’s eyes gleamed upon recognizing it.
It wasn’t just because of a crow’s natural love for shiny things.
The crimson droplet in Dantalion’s hand awakened the primal instinct of a mystical beast that pursued strength.
“As a reward, I bestow this upon you.
A creature like you, born of mystic power, should be able to absorb it with ease.”
Noir, unable to suppress its excitement, involuntarily drooled and nodded.
The droplet on Dantalion’s finger was, in essence, a type of elixir.
For an ordinary human like Thomas, it would do little more than boost his health.
But for Noir, a creature born of mystic energy, its effects would be far greater.
No longer able to resist, Noir opened its beak wide.
“I’ll apply it to your upper palate, so eat it slowly.
If you consume it too hastily, you won’t fully absorb its power.”
For reference, the droplet had been flavored to suit Noir’s taste—like honey-glazed walnuts.
As Dantalion smeared the sticky droplet onto Noir’s palate, the creature flicked its tongue, savoring the sensation.
Each time its tongue swept over the droplet, a pleasurable shudder ran through its feathers.
This was a true delicacy!
Savoring the exquisite taste with its entire body, Noir spread its wings wide.
“Kraaah!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Having paid a satisfactory price, Dantalion had no reservations about putting the creature to work.
Hopping onto Noir’s back, he tapped its head lightly.
“Let’s go.”
“Kraaah!”
Noir spread its wings wide, letting gravity pull it downward before catching the wind and soaring into the sky.
Rising higher and higher, Noir finally spread its wings fully as the cold air brushed against them.
Above the endlessly vast sky, the sun shone brilliantly, illuminating the entire world.
“A city viewed from the sky…
Quite a picturesque sight.”
A city built upon broad lands, enclosed by high walls sealing the cliffs—this was a testament to human history.
Gazing down, Dantalion found himself reminiscing about his long-forgotten days as a human.
To build this city, humans must have spent countless years in cooperation and understanding.
“Catch me if you can!”
“Brother, take me with you!”
“Dummy!
Then run faster!”
The sight of children dashing through the alleyways, oblivious to the dangers of the world, was a pleasant one.
The very fact that they could run and laugh freely was proof of the city’s prosperity.
But in a place built on desire, there are bound to be stains.
The tiny face embedded in his artificial body split open, revealing an additional eye.
His vision turned crimson, and in that red haze, names of sinners emerged in scarlet letters.
Seeing those names felt like witnessing dirt being smeared across a pristine white cloth, an unbearable irritation rising within him.
Occupational hazard, I suppose.
Even knowing I can’t erase them all, I still want to purge them completely.
As long as desire existed, sinners would never disappear from the world.
Yet, eradicating all desire would only cause the world to stagnate, ceasing all change forever.
Reminding himself of this truth, Dantalion shook off the irritation.
There was no issue in delaying the judgment of the damned.
Right now, he needed to find a suitable sinner to offer to Joanna.
Punishing someone with minor sins would be meaningless.
The goal was to find someone whose disappearance would benefit the city while also giving Joanna a sense of accomplishment.
Once he made up his mind, most of the names in his vision vanished.
Those remaining were nothing but absolute scum, unworthy of being seen anywhere.
However, selecting the perfect piece of trash for Joanna was no simple task.
The nature of the sin, Joanna’s abilities, and the impact on the city…
All must be considered.
It would take some time, but that was not an issue.
Knowing Joanna, she wouldn’t even expect a reward unless she was fully convinced the task was justified.
Until then, he could take his time carefully sorting through the city’s filth.
Several days had passed while Dantalion meticulously considered the perfect reward for Joanna.
And today, Joanna returned to the inn, practically glowing with excitement—evidence that she had achieved a satisfactory result.
Since he had some sense, Dantalion could tell that Joanna had achieved a satisfying result.
“Joanna, is it about time to tell you the location of the sinner to be executed?”
Dantalion asked as she returned to the inn room.
Honestly, even if she had failed, he had already decided to give her the location anyway, considering her effort.
But it seemed his expectations were correct.
Joanna’s face was filled with an unmistakable confidence she couldn’t hide.
“I successfully secured a cooperative broker today!
By tomorrow, I should be able to find a house, so…”
She trailed off, but her slightly trembling shoulders made her excitement obvious.
She looked like an eager puppy with sparkling eyes, which was almost endearing.
When Dantalion patted her head in approval, she even closed her eyes like a real puppy…
“Ahem, then I shall give you the location.
It would be best to leave at dawn so your companions do not notice.”
“If a commotion breaks out, it might affect my enrollment, after all.”
Fortunately, Joanna didn’t seem to mind his cough of embarrassment.
A short while later, Joanna had a hearty meal of meat for dinner, took a long bath, and settled her mind and body.
A quiet dawn, where the moon hid behind the clouds.
Once all the lights in the inn had gone out, Joanna geared up and stepped out of her room.
At that moment, Emily, who had been secretly reading by a dim lantern, opened her door.
“Ahaha…
It’s so dark, I can’t see anything~”
Her attempt at an awkward cover-up was painfully obvious.
Dantalion, perched on Joanna’s shoulder, stared at her.
What on earth had Joanna dragged Emily into that made her react like this?
Ignoring Emily, Joanna whispered as she reached the window at the end of the hallway.
“I didn’t do anything that would trouble Lord Dantalion, so please don’t worry.”
‘Causing trouble for me should be nearly impossible in the first place.’
Still, Emily didn’t seem terrified—she just couldn’t meet Joanna’s gaze.
That meant she likely hadn’t been involved in anything too brutal.
Deeming Emily’s reaction to be a safe pass, Dantalion began guiding Joanna.
He led her to an abandoned church in the city’s outskirts.
The building itself was still relatively clean, suggesting that it had only been recently abandoned.
“There was a church in a place like this?”
“It must have been neglected due to its inconvenient location.”
With other churches available, there was no reason to visit a dreary, out-of-the-way one like this.
The city’s bishop likely wouldn’t waste priests on such a place, leaving it to decay.
And buildings that fell out of official use often became dens for squatters.
A man, cloaked in darkness, arrived at the church, dragging a cart behind him.
He didn’t bother heading for the front door, instead moving toward a side window as if it were routine.
“Hey, open the window.”
“You bastard…
What took you so long today?
You brought the moonshine, right?”
“Hehehe, I got some exceptional service at the brothel today.
But yeah, I brought the booze.”
After confirming his face through the window, the person inside unlocked the front door.
Through the opening, more than seven locks could be seen securing the entrance.
The excessive security was a clear statement: no one unauthorized was getting in.
Once the lookout checked their surroundings, several burly men emerged from inside.
They swiftly carried the crates of moonshine into the building.
Clank!
Click!
Rattle!
As the lookout shut the door, the various locks were engaged once again.
At first glance, they might seem like nothing more than diligent bootleggers.
However, the crimes they were truly guilty of—
“Lord Dantalion, should we move in now?”
“The sinners I’ve marked are all present… but aren’t you curious about their crimes?”
Dantalion had expected her to ask.
Yet Joanna didn’t seem the slightest bit curious.
Tilting her head slightly, she gave him a confident smile full of trust.
“There’s no way Lord Dantalion would order the execution of the innocent.
You must have chosen people who are better off dead for the sake of the world.”
Because of that belief, she didn’t need to ask.
Her purpose was to reduce the number of sinners in the world on behalf of Dantalion.
Sensing her unwavering conviction, Dantalion nodded.
“If that is your will, then proceed.
However, their numbers—”
Before he could finish, Joanna kicked off the ground and launched herself toward the front door.
Tonight’s weapon of choice was not the greatsword gifted by Clove but a one-handed sword.
It was better suited for fighting in tight spaces and allowed for more discretion.
Crack!
Upon reaching the door, she sensed movement on the other side and immediately thrust her sword forward.
As she drew power into it, the heat radiating from the hilt rapidly spread to the blade, making it glow red-hot.
“W-What the fuck?!
That guy just got stabbed through the neck!”
“Kegh…!”
The sound of flesh sizzling carried through the trembling steel.
Joanna waited until the man’s breathing stopped before yanking her sword back.
Thud.
The body collapsed on the other side of the door.
Without hesitation, Joanna swung her sword at the entrance.
As the crimson blade cut through the door, she followed up with a powerful kick.
Crash!
The door shattered and fell apart.
The criminals, who had been laughing and drinking just moments ago, now stared at Joanna in stunned silence.
“I am here to judge your sins.
If anyone wishes to dispute the verdict, please raise your hand.”
Declaring their execution, Joanna pointed her sword at them.
Amidst the eerie stillness, one man hesitantly raised his hand.
“W-Wait!
I get that you saw us smuggling moonshine, but under imperial law, that’s not a crime worthy of—”
Thud!
Joanna flicked a wooden shard with her foot, piercing straight through the man’s throat.
The one who tried to buy time was the first to descend into hell.
After a brief silence, the remaining criminals exchanged glances, as if mentally syncing their next moves.
Joanna simply asked again.
“Anyone else wish to object?”
“… …”
No one spoke.
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