The knight commander, Gerold, arrogantly scanned the inside of the theater before naturally stepping forward toward the stage.
The actors, who had been continuing their performance, froze in place, bewildered by the sudden intrusion, while the audience also turned their heads in curiosity.
“This is a mess. Even after such an incident occurred at the empire’s finest academy, you’re all still playing around, completely oblivious.”
Gerold stepped onto the stage without hesitation.
The actors glanced at Serena to see if this was part of the play, but of course, it wasn’t.
Serena turned to me and asked,
“Why is the Imperial Knights here, nya?”
“Maybe because of the commotion earlier?”
“If that were the case, the Arcana Guard should have handled it. There’s no reason for them to get involved, nya. There must be another reason, nya.”
As everyone’s curiosity peaked and they focused on him, Gerold finally spoke while looking down at the crowd.
“There’s no need to be surprised. We are here to handle a very important matter.”
“An important matter?”
The audience murmured in discontent.
No matter how prestigious the Imperial Knights were, barging into a performance everyone was enjoying was incredibly rude.
Yet Gerold ignored their complaints and continued.
“We have received intelligence that demons have infiltrated Arcana. We are here to capture them.”
“Demons? That’s ridiculous. If you’re going to spout nonsense like that, just leave quietly. You’re disrupting the play.”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not is not for you to decide.”
He pulled a fist-sized stone from inside his coat.
It was a Purification Stone. Translucent and white, it was a tool specifically designed to detect demons.
“We received a report that dark energy was detected in this theater. If there are demons among you, it wouldn’t be surprising. I suggest you all cooperate.”
“And if we refuse?”
“Then you will be considered disguised demons and be executed on the spot.”
“This is absurd.”
At Gerold’s signal, the knights drew their swords in unison, taking up combat stances.
Bringing the Purification Stone meant they were serious about finding demons… and that was a problem.
Because there really were demons hiding here.
Despite their dissatisfaction with Gerold’s actions, the audience had no choice but to comply with the demon identification process.
The process was simple.
Gerold would hold the Purification Stone in front of each person, and if the stone glowed red, it meant they were a demon.
“I found one.”
Gerold identified a demon hiding among them.
The well-dressed man watched as the stone shone red and shook his head.
“No, I’m not a demon.”
“Don’t lie. It’s glowing this brightly, and you still deny it?”
“There must be something wrong with the stone. Or some kind of trick. I swear, I am not a demon!”
“Is that your final statement?”
“Aagh!”
Gerold cut the man down.
Clutching his wound, the man staggered, his face and skin gradually turning greenish.
He was, in fact, a demon.
“See? He was a demon after all. And yet he still tried to deceive us to the very end. Filthy creatures like you never change.”
“Ugh… Please… spare me… I beg you…”
“I have only one question. Why did you disguise yourself and hide among humans? What were you planning?”
“I never harmed anyone… I just wanted to live like a human…”
“You wanted to live like a human? What a funny thing for trash like you to say.”
Thrust!
Gerold plunged his sword into the demon’s heart.
The demon gasped for breath, tears streaming down his face, before closing his eyes.
After that, Gerold hunted down and killed all the demons hiding in the theater, one by one.
Some begged for their lives, others resisted desperately to survive, but it was all in vain.
It was not a pleasant sight.
Demons were fundamentally considered enemies of humanity, but that didn’t mean all demons were hostile toward humans.
Some demon factions were actually friendly toward humanity, and there were also humans who held a moderate stance toward demons.
Because of this, the audience watching the scene didn’t react favorably to Gerold’s actions.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but think about the Demon King.
She might have the power to deceive the Purification Stone, but would she really just let this scene unfold without reacting?
She had mentioned that this was her first time outside the Demon King’s castle.
It might also be her first experience with human society, and if this was the impression she got, she certainly wouldn’t develop a positive view of humanity.
Could it be that the reason the Demon King came to hate humanity was because of incidents like this piling up over time?
“It’s your turn now.”
Gerold finally stood before the Demon King.
She silently gazed at him before standing up without a word.
“I’ll give you the chance to answer honestly. Are you a demon or not?”
“If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine too. The Purification Stone will give me the answer anyway.”
Gerold held the Purification Stone out to her.
Phew, at least she didn’t reveal her identity outright.
If that’s the case, things should go smoothly.
Fooling the Purification Stone with her illusion magic shouldn’t be difficult.
“Hmm, I see.”
“You’re a demon too.”
Contrary to my expectations, the Purification Stone emitted a red glow.
But her illusion magic was still active—so why did it react like that?
That was when I noticed Alcatraz.
Sitting beside the Demon King, he was grinning from ear to ear, as if he was anticipating something entertaining to happen soon.
That bastard’s doing.
Tch, should I step in?
There was no way someone like Gerold could kill the Demon King, but at the same time, she wouldn’t just stand there and take it.
Even the slightest retaliation from her would instantly wipe out the entire Imperial Knights on the spot.
“Do you have any last words before you die? If you want to beg for your life, now’s your chance. Not that I’d spare you.”
“…Fine.”
“Oh? So you’re accepting death with dignity? That’s quite admirable for trash. I like that. I’ll grant you a swift death.”
As the Demon King silently stared at the Purification Stone, Gerold swung his sword at her.
However, his blade was blocked by someone.
“That’s enough.”
“You…?”
Gerold glared at the man who had stopped his sword.
That man was Kalian.
“What is the meaning of this? Do you dare to interfere with the Imperial Knights’ duty to eliminate demons?”
“I apologize for my sudden intrusion. However, I could not stand idly by this time.”
“You madman. You must have a death wish.”
At Gerold’s signal, the knights surrounded Kalian and the Demon King.
Ah… Kalian, why are you getting involved in this?
Of all people, you shouldn’t be the one doing this.
Not only would antagonizing the Imperial Knights be an incredibly foolish move, but what do you hope to achieve by helping the Demon King, your ultimate enemy?
The audience murmured at Kalian’s sudden appearance, and even the Demon King widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at him.
“You’d better have a proper explanation. If your reason is sound, I’ll let you off with imprisonment. If not, I’ll take your head.”
“My reason is simple. She is not a demon.”
“What?”
“She is not a demon. The Purification Stone must be malfunctioning.”
“Hah.”
Gerold let out a scoff at Kalian’s response.
That was ridiculous.
The Purification Stone almost never malfunctioned.
Kalian must have been mistaken.
He must have assumed that since I, who had seen through every illusion so far, was accompanying the Demon King without issue, she wasn’t actually concealing her identity.
That must have led him to make such a mistake.
It was an absurd blunder, but I suddenly realized something from it.
Quickly, I stepped forward.
“Good evening.”
“And who are you? Do you think this is an appropriate moment to butt in?”
“I am this man’s close friend. And, coincidentally, I happen to be an expert who has studied the Purification Stone for a long time.”
I casually lied to Gerold.
He furrowed his brows.
“A specialist in Purification Stones?”
“Yes. While rare, there are occasional instances where the Purification Stone malfunctions. I believe that’s what my friend was trying to point out.”
“What nonsense. I have never heard of the Purification Stone lying. Are you demons as well?”
“We are not demons. If you doubt us, go ahead and check.”
Naturally, the Purification Stone identified both Kalian and me as human.
Gerold, having confirmed our humanity, looked even more confused.
“If you’re human, then why are you trying to save a demon?”
“It’s a misunderstanding. As I said, we only stepped in because there was a possibility that she isn’t a demon.”
“What are you scheming?”
“We simply want to check if the Purification Stone is working properly. We should avoid executing an innocent person, shouldn’t we?”
I shrugged and held out my hand toward Gerold.
“Purification Stones accumulate demonic energy over time, which can reduce their accuracy. If the built-up energy isn’t cleared, errors may occur.”
“…”
“May I examine the Purification Stone? If there’s an issue, I’ll be able to identify it immediately.”
“This is absurd. Fine, take a look. But if I don’t like the results, you two won’t get away unscathed.”
“Understood.”
Grumbling, Gerold reluctantly handed over the Purification Stone.
I casually examined it.
“Hmm…”
“Do you see anything?”
“As expected, quite a bit of demonic energy has built up. This could lead to inaccuracies. Let me make a quick adjustment… There, it’s done.”
I cast an illusion spell on the Purification Stone and handed it back to Gerold.
He looked at me suspiciously.
“Are you sure it’s fixed?”
“Yes. Try using it again. You’ll see a more accurate result than before.”
“The Purification Stone was already working correctly. This feels like a waste of time… Huh?”
As he held the Purification Stone toward the Demon King, a pure white light radiated from it.
That meant the target was human, not a demon.
The audience murmured in surprise, and Kalian nodded as if he had expected this outcome all along.
I spoke with a casual smile.
“See? I told you. Fortunately, you’ve been identifying demons correctly so far, but she is not one of them. You almost executed an innocent person.”
“Hmph. I suppose this sort of thing can happen…”
“But as the leader of the Imperial Knights, you were only carrying out your noble duty. There’s no fault in that. Even the most exceptional individuals, like yourself, can occasionally make small mistakes.”
“Hmph. I’ll let this slide, but don’t interfere so recklessly again.”
Completely fooled, Gerold spared Kalian and me, then left to continue his search for demons.
“Phew, that was close.”
“You…”
Kalian sighed with a smile, while the Demon King, who had just escaped a crisis, seemed at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Alcatraz and I locked eyes.
He was still smiling, but beneath that grin, I could sense subtle irritation and anger.