She's Back

Pop!

It seemed her promise of “just a moment” wasn't an empty one, as she reappeared in my sight shortly after.

Having gone to Reality and returned, she seemed to have somewhat regained her senses. Her eyes were still a bit hazy, but it wasn't clear if that was from sleepiness or due to the mirror.

“···Clearing Throat.”

To ease the awkwardness, she cleared her throat. Anyway, she was back, and that was what mattered.

So, we simply resumed our actions without a word. We pretended nothing was amiss, as if nothing had happened in the early morning. She probably remembered it, but the incident was too significant to bring up easily. For now, I decided to accept this unspoken peace.

As we walked for a while, Hanbyeol cautiously asked.

“···What are we doing today?”

The atmosphere was awkward, so she asked about the schedule, if nothing else. I answered simply.

“We're leaving.”

Out of the Village, that is. We'd gotten the Demon's location and extracted enough information. It seemed okay to leave soon. Our objective was Investigation, after all. I was tired, and desperately wanted to get out and rest at the Campsite.

...I also needed to check on her condition.

For now, she seemed sane, but there was no telling when she might snap again.

Anyway, we started moving again. Perhaps because it was early morning, there weren't many Villagers roaming around. Or perhaps, with all eight members of the Exploration Team captured except for us, their vigilance had lessened. Whatever the reason, thanks to that, moving around was much easier.

“...”

“...”

Of course, there was no particular conversation between us. Given what happened yesterday, that was to be expected. If we had completely crossed the line, it might have been different, but ambiguously crossing it made things even more uncomfortable. Even now, if I closed my eyes, the image of her taking off her top yesterday would be vivid, so what must she be feeling?

“···Um.”

As the silence continued, Hanbyeol hesitated and opened her mouth.

“What happened yesterday... I wasn't in my right mind. You know that, right?”

It was a conversation that would have to happen eventually, but she brought it up faster than I expected. Hanbyeol's violet eyes fidgeted, watching my reaction.

I pondered for a moment what to say.

*Hmm.*

To be honest, I didn't have any strong feelings about it. I knew she wasn't in her right mind, and that she was caught up in the moment. Even if it were considered sexual harassment in This Place that could ruin her image, it was something I could understand.

“It's fine. I understand everything.”

But it was... a bit disappointing. Damn, I'm no Jesus or saint, so does it make sense that I had to hold back at that moment? I only barely restrained myself because we were in the middle of Enemy Territory; otherwise, I might have eagerly pounced.

For a moment, images of Chae-rin and Haneul flashed through my mind, but I pushed them aside for now. Honestly, whenever I indulged in 19+ Mode, I could see that both of them struggled a bit.

Of course, they enjoyed it immensely when it actually happened, but there was no denying their physical limitations. I used to be unsure, but now I'm certain.

My desires and stamina have definitely increased.

It might be because I've lived like a beast, making my instincts strong, but mainly in *that* regard, I was half-convinced it was due to the Demon's Blood in my body.

The characteristics of the blood were influencing my desires as well. There was some basis for this, namely, that everyone's Berserk State B was different, and that some demonic traits emerged as a side effect of that Berserk State B. I had recently learned something new while talking with Neria.

No way, could Berserk State B affect only me like this?

She, for instance, didn't experience surging desires during her Berserk State B. Of course, Neria also mentioned having mental penalties. From a Demon's perspective, it would be easier to take over a body if the mind was also messed with, rather than just the body.

But she only experienced depression and lethargy, not arousal like I did. Of course, she might be hiding something, but it was clear that I was a special case.

Anyway, that was the situation. In short, I didn't want to gloss over what happened in the early morning. Shouldn't an ambiguously crossed line be properly addressed later?

“So, let's talk about it again later.”

That's what I told Hanbyeol because the situation wasn't ideal at the time.

“Uh, um... sorry.”

“···?”

I hadn't said it with any particular thought, but it seemed Hanbyeol had interpreted it differently. She suddenly flinched, and apologized. For the record, this was the first time I'd ever heard her apologize. She was such a proud person, after all.

Her shoulders slumped; the way she was watching my reaction felt very unfamiliar. I tilted my head, thinking.

Could she have interpreted what I just said as, 'I'm disgusted, but the situation isn't right, so I'll deal with you later'?

*Definitely.*

It was a plausible interpretation. She was probably in a state of mental and physical weakness then.

“No, it's not like that... Ugh, never mind.”

I was about to elaborate, but then stopped because even if I explained, she probably wouldn't properly listen in her current state. And then, we were slowly approaching the Village's Border.

I could see it. Numerous People were stationed along the human-height Boundary Wall. I brought up the same thought I had yesterday.

How do we get through that?

I wanted to get out comfortably without causing too much damage. With so many guards, my motivation was already dwindling. Fortunately, this difficult problem didn't require much thought for long.

CRASH!

A moment later, the Boundary Wall exploded.

“Aaaargh!”

“W-What?!”

Stone fragments scattered, and the Villagers instantly tumbled to the Ground. The ones who had burst through the Boundary Wall were none other than the Knight Order.

“Eh.”

Why on earth did they come in here? Weren't they supposed to be waiting at the Campsite? Whatever the reason, it was a gain for us. Thanks to them, we could get out without much effort.

So, we quickly ran towards the Knight Order. Joining them was quick.

*

“Why did you suddenly come in here?” “We came because we thought something might have happened.”

After joining the Knight Order, we immediately fled the Village. The Villagers pursued us from behind, but it was useless. They were already shocked by the collapse of the Boundary Wall, and didn't have the capacity to chase the Extermination Squad as well. Thanks to that, we were able to leave the Village comfortably and hear the Full Story.

Odelia continued, responding to my question.

“I clearly told you to come out immediately if anything happened, didn't I? But two days passed, and no one came out, and suddenly the Villagers were on guard, so I had a hunch. Ah, something must have happened to them.”

So, she made a decision without much hesitation. Since we were already discovered, she figured we might as well just charge in and rescue the People. She thought if we caused a commotion near the Boundary Wall, everyone would gather on their own, and she was right. Thanks to that, we were able to get out smoothly.

“But you're more normal than I expected.”

And that's how we ended up in this state. Upon hearing that the remaining Exploration Team members, excluding us, had been affected, she gave up cleanly and left the Village.

As soon as I arrived at the Campsite, I immediately shared the information I had gathered with her. This included the Demon's approximate abilities and location, and even what happened if one was affected by its ability. I wasn't particularly worried about the Exploration Team. They were probably having a good time *doing it* on their own by then.

“No, what kind of ability is that?”

Indeed, the Demon's ability seemed shocking, as Odelia's eyes widened. A hint of envy could be seen in her red eyes. Ignoring her reaction, I briefly looked at Hanbyeol.

Currently, Priests are attending to her, performing Healing. Her eyes, which had been hazy all day, are gradually clearing. It is certainly good to have Priests in situations like this. They can broadly perform Cleanup/Resolution of unknown Demon abilities with divine power. It is reassuring.

...Maybe I should look into the mirror this time?

This thought also crossed my mind. After all, I had *that* mirror in my back pocket. With a safety measure in place, experiencing it once didn't seem like a bad idea.

So, I immediately acted on my thought. I pulled out the mirror and immediately checked it. A man with amber eyes was reflected in the mirror. Up to this point, it was no different from an ordinary mirror.

The abnormality appeared right after. As if something had touched *down there*... it started to tingle suddenly. Not only that, my body felt subtly hot. And suddenly I wanted to have lewd thoughts.

*...Hmm.*

The longer I stared into the mirror, the stronger the sensation seemed to get, so I quickly removed it from my sight. It wasn't enough to lose my self-awareness. But there was definitely a reaction, and the feeling was quite intense. If I had to compare, it was like a slightly degraded version of Berserk State B.

But if I considered this lasting for hours or even days... it certainly wouldn't be easy. I could somewhat understand why Hanbyeol had acted that way in the early morning.

As I was thinking that, Hanbyeol's Purification was already complete. As if remembering the early morning incident again, she trembled, her face pale and her eyes shaking.

I also went to a Priest to receive Purification. Immediately, my mind cleared. I inwardly admired it for a moment.

This kind of thing is definitely good.

Even though I had some aversion to the fact that they were Priests, their abilities were undeniable. It would be great if divine power also worked on Berserk State B.

“...The Village Hall.”

As I was thinking that, Odelia quietly murmured. It seemed she was processing the information I had given her, thinking something in her head. She unfolded a Village map, which I didn't know when she'd acquired, and continued speaking.

“It's fine. The distance isn't too far. Have you seen its form, by any chance?” “No, I haven't. There are so many people.” “Hmm, so that's how it is...”

After a brief pause, she said casually.

“Then, should we try to catch it ourselves, just like this?”

It was the moment the Investigation Team truly transitioned into an Extermination Squad.