“Nothing’s going to change by doing this.”
Kalia sat down in the hallway of the organization’s hideout.
She buried her head in her knees and muttered in a voice so small that no one could hear.
“There’s a limit to one-sided favoritism.”
She grumbled with her mouth, criticizing the other person for doing such foolish things.
But her voice was extremely shy.
It was as if she were a girl who didn’t know how to react because she was so happy.
In fact, while she spoke, the corners of her mouth kept wanting to move on their own, mostly upward.
‘You’re willing to help other demons for me? That’s too large a gift for a token of affection.’
A sovereign state for demons.
A fantasy that any demon would have dreamed of at least once in their life.
But no one had ever seriously aimed for it.
Because they knew it was impossible with their own power.
Demons are a discriminated, persecuted, and hated race.
It’s difficult enough for them to have proper status and wealth, and outside the ghettos, even their lives aren’t properly guaranteed.
The church openly slanders demons, and the ruling class uses them to shift the people’s discontent.
Unlike the Jews, who at least shared the same race, these demons suffered even more because they didn’t have that.
They are alive, but they’re not truly living.
Despite having personality, free will, and intelligence, demons are never truly acknowledged for anything.
That’s what the life of a demon was like.
In that case.
“That annoying person. What am I supposed to do to repay this?”
To have the dream I gave up on as a child come true like this.
It was so sudden, yet so overwhelming, that I didn’t know how to react.
Even now, I wonder how I should repay that person, who is likely already scheming to control the world.
“What are you trying to get from me in return? A thank you? A kiss? Or love?”
It was getting harder to stay with Ishmael, so I had to leave the room without saying goodbye.
If I stayed any longer, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to control my emotions.
I’m sure my face turned red, and I stumbled over my words, showing all kinds of embarrassing behavior.
He’s the kind of person who likes to tease, so I’m sure he would have mocked me for it.
Is anyone out there?
“Ugh.”
It seemed I had been here too long.
At the sound of Ishmael’s voice, Kalia immediately got up.
She straightened her clothes and changed her expression to one of solemnity, as if she had never smiled.
This was the same attitude she had shown when she first met Ishmael.
It was her usual demeanor.
She never opened her heart to anyone, and focused only on work, because that’s how demons avoid being caught up in any trouble.
Lately, however, her poker face kept breaking, especially when it came to Ishmael.
That was becoming a problem.
But she still maintained this posture around others.
‘Wasn’t the archives over there?’
It was still around lunchtime.
There was plenty of time left to take care of work.
Now that she was back at the organization, she was thinking about reviewing the documents that needed approval.
“Oh, Chief.”
“It’s been a while.”
She ran into some other organization members on the way.
New agents who had been with the organization for about 3-4 years.
They were older than Kalia, but less experienced.
“You’ve been working hard on your assignments. Teaching those foolish young masters at the academy must be quite a chore.”
“If the higher-ups ordered it, I must do it. But what are you doing here? Isn’t it still work hours?”
“I’m bringing food. To the instructor who’s holed up in his room.”
Of course, there was only one person in the entire organization who could be called an instructor here.
“Ishmael, you mean?”
“Yes, that guy. He hasn’t been able to come to the cafeteria because he’s been working nonstop. He told us to bring it to him instead.”
“Why do we have to take care of a lazy scholar who can’t even keep track of time?”
The tone was far from friendly.
Unfortunately, that was the general attitude the Illane branch members had towards Ishmael.
From the higher-ups’ perspective, they were happy because the new recruit had accomplished great feats and fulfilled their long-awaited wishes.
They would say, “Take care of him well and keep an eye on him,” since he was an outstanding talent.
Although his origins were unclear, his intelligence was extraordinary, and his unconventional ideas were both impressive and a bit unsettling.
Since he was valuable and helpful to the organization, they didn’t actively oppose him, but instead, managed him with a certain level of supervision.
In other branches, they only heard about his achievements, so they vaguely thought he was impressive.
But what about the people here?
A monster.
What on earth is in that guy’s head?
He’s that smart, and yet he’s working with people like us?
Doesn’t he have some hidden agenda?
They revered him.
And they feared him.
Having worked alongside him, they knew about Ishmael’s genius.
And they had witnessed firsthand how easily he could upend the world.
From his perspective, he had simply distributed the knowledge he had learned.
But what did others see?
He casually poured out ideas that scholars would spend their entire lives researching, ideas that could barely be conceived.
It wasn’t just surprising; it naturally bred fear and terror.
I’ve worked for five years and am still a low-ranking member.
Why is he already a senior official?
If jealousy towards a colleague’s rapid promotion was added to this mix, how could the public opinion about Ishmael ever be favorable?
At least the reason for disliking him had some element of fear, which prevented them from actively sabotaging him.
“Foolish.”
Of course, this was just the excuse others put forward.
Kalia had no intention of taking it into consideration.
“Stop with the unnecessary complaints. Aren’t you ashamed to be the senior?”
“Ch-Chief, even though he—”
“Who do you think we owe this expansion of power to? If it weren’t for Ishmael, we’d still be a small terrorist group with no future.”
Afraid?
Sure, that’s understandable.
Emotions are something people can’t control.
But isn’t it too shameless to hate or ostracize Ishmael?
Thanks to him, the organization has grown this much, and we’re on the verge of fulfilling a long-standing wish.
And now, to openly slander him?
There should be limits to one’s conscience.
“If you’re going to speak like that, go make an accomplishment that can match Ishmael’s first. Then, I’ll acknowledge you.”
People who achieve great things deserve the appropriate respect and treatment.
This was a perfectly reasonable statement, and no one in the organization could argue against it.
“…”
“If you understand, I’ll be going now. Be more careful next time.”
Having scolded them, Kalia left, feeling relieved, as she went on her way, ignoring the astonished looks from her subordinates.
*****
“I’ll have to tell Ishmael to pay more attention to his interactions with others.”
Though he didn’t listen to pointless slander and insults, after hearing that, she couldn’t help but feel concerned.
If the public opinion within the organization was like this, it might be a good idea to make him more mindful of his relationships with others from now on.
“He doesn’t care much about others.”
Ishmael was a wise person.
Not only was he rich in knowledge, but the intelligence required to utilize and apply it was also exceptional.
In just six months, he learned the common language of the continent and easily secured a position as an academy instructor, so his intellectual abilities were undoubtedly impressive.
However, on the other hand, his ability to pick up on social cues was lacking.
To be precise, he was so focused on something that he couldn’t pay attention to anything else.
Kalia, having lived with him and worked together since the early days, took good care of him.
But if it was someone he wasn’t interested in, he would almost ignore them completely.
“I remember… you said you came to the organization for revenge.”
The reason was roughly clear.
He had said it himself in the past.
“Who is he seeking revenge on?”
What could have happened to make him like this?
He wouldn’t tell her, so Kalia had no way of knowing.
But if his grudge could destroy the world, the person or people responsible for it couldn’t be ordinary.
At the very least, they would have to be royalty or nobility from some nation.
Perhaps… it could even be that damned goddess up in the sky?
“Ah, that’s going too far.”
Kalia laughed at herself for even thinking it.
What chance would an ordinary human have to be involved with a goddess?
Except for the hero Adolphus Hitler (whose name is recorded in an ancient language, so the pronunciation is unclear), who was summoned by the goddess to defeat the Demon King, the goddess had always communicated only with saints.
Physically, Ishmael couldn’t be involved with her.
“Whatever it is, I hope it’s resolved well.”
In any case, once his grudge is settled, Ishmael would regain some peace of mind.
Kalia could only hope for that.
“When that time comes… I’ll ask him to retire with me.”
When the grand plan for the organization is complete and there’s no need to work anymore, they would retire together.
They’d buy a small house in the suburbs and live together.
If Ishmael ever confessed his love for her… this was how she would respond.
She would borrow the words her mother once said to her father.
“I’ll hand over the ownership of the rest of my life to you.”
Just imagining it made her stomach flutter.
