A luxurious reception room decorated in gold and white.
In the chapel of the Order of Priests that oversaw the Gateway Zone, two people were having a conversation.
The combination of the two people sitting opposite each other was quite peculiar.
Old and young.
One was an old man with white hair and a beard, while the other was a blond boy who looked to be about ten years old.
Both were dressed in priestly vestments.
Unlike the old man, whose age and attire suited him well, the blond boy's clothes were ill-fitting, like a child wearing his father's shoes.
…Still, that much was within the realm of the understandable.
It wasn't a common combination, but it wasn't an entirely impossible one either.
“I am ashamed. Lord Button, you’ve come all this way, and we couldn't even hold a proper welcome ceremony for you….”
“…A welcome ceremony? That’s uncalled for between brothers of the same Order. I am merely following orders from headquarters.”
“If I had known, I would have prepared some better tea.”
“…This central black tea is excellent. It’s the one I enjoy the most, anyway.”
However, there was one most ironic point remaining.
It was the fact that the old man was treating the boy with the utmost respect.
Despite it being obvious to anyone that it should be the other way around, their conversation revealed an incomprehensible power dynamic where the blond boy, called ‘Lord Button,’ was the superior, and the old man was the subordinate.
Clink—
After a moment of silence.
The boy, slowly setting down his teacup, got straight to the point with the old man.
“Normally, I would like to chat a little longer with you, Head Priest… but given the circumstances, I believe I must begin the investigation immediately.”
At the boy’s words, the Head Priest stroked his white beard once and gave a bitter smile.
“Haha… I suppose so… of course.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“By all means, I’m in your hands, Lord Button.”
“…I will do my best in the name of the Guardian Cross.”
“…Then. I will show you the way.”
The boy carefully climbed down from the chair, his feet not reaching the floor, and followed the Head Priest out of the reception room.
Creak—
And paying no mind to his priestly robes that trailed along the floor, he began to walk down the long corridor.
As they moved, the Head Priest naturally began to explain the outline of the case.
“You’ve likely read the written report, but since some time has passed during your journey, I will briefly explain the situation again, including subsequent developments.”
“…Please do.”
“As you know, we discovered an unusual individual during the 131st Gateway Zone proceedings. His name is ‘Seo U-jin,’ a Plane Transcendent who showed unbelievable performance results right from his passage through the First Gate.”
The blond boy nodded.
Nod—
“Normally, the Order of Priests is forbidden from intervening in individual matters outside of the Gateway Zone’s proceedings… but as you well know, Lord Button, the Demon King's Army’s strategist has been rampant with his tricks lately…”
“…Indeed.”
“So I gave headquarters a heads-up. It might have been a groundless fear… but I thought it would be best if you came to see for yourself, Lord Button.”
“You did well.”
“…The problem is that another incident occurred in the meantime.”
“……”
“At the Third Gateway. An attempted murder.”
The blond boy muttered, repeating the Head Priest’s words.
“Attempted murder…”
“And just as I expected, that man, Seo U-jin, was involved in this case as well.”
“……”
“Furthermore, after grasping the circumstances and the Constellations’ testimonies, the involvement of a wicked Succubus was confirmed…”
Halt—
It was then.
The blond boy’s steps suddenly stopped, and his right hand went up.
The reason was simple.
“Let’s stop there, Head Priest. I have the case file anyway, so I will uncover the rest of the truth during my own investigation.”
They had reached the end of the corridor, where a crude wooden door was set.
“…Understood.”
Creeak—
When the Head Priest opened the door, a spiral stone staircase leading down into the darkness was revealed.
“…Please, uncover the truth of this case.”
“I will do my best.”
“…When you go down, one of our Crusaders will be standing guard. If you need anything, you can tell him.”
“Thank you.”
Having said that, the Head Priest gave a benevolent smile and bowed his head to the blond boy.
“May the grace of the Guardian Cross always be with you…”
“I too shall pray that the grace of the Guardian Cross is always with you.”
After bowing his head in return, the blond boy turned around.
He slowly began to descend the stairs.
Step— Step—
“Seo U-jin… you say…”
The identity of the blond boy, who muttered while habitually fiddling with his earlobe, was unexpectedly surprising.
A High Priest of the Guardian Cross Order.
Inquisitor ‘Leonardo Louis Button.’
Although he looked for all the world like the ten-year-old son of a noble, he was in fact a high-ranking priest of The Order who had grown up experiencing all the trials and tribulations of the War against Demons.
Although he had the appearance of a child due to certain circumstances, his combat abilities and experience were unparalleled even among the High Priests.
Furthermore, the position of ‘Inquisitor’ itself was rare within The Order, and it was a title more revered by the Crusaders fighting on the front lines of the war than even the priests who had received the rank of bishop.
Leonardo Louis Button was not someone who could be dismissed based on appearance alone.
“Victory over Demons!”
“Good work. Please open that door for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Clank— Creeak!
As the soldier opened the door, Louis pointed up the stairs and said.
“Go on up and take a break. This won’t take long.”
“Sir? But Lord Button, I am on guard duty here…”
Snatch—
Louis, lightly snatching the keys from the flustered soldier’s waist, spoke in a slightly heavier tone.
“I am telling you that I require confidentiality for my duties, so I am asking you to leave for a moment.”
“Ah… Yes. Understood.”
The soldier fled as if from a scolding that wasn't quite a scolding from Louis.
After confirming that he had completely left the underground cell, Louis went inside the iron door and locked it.
Clank—
Inside the cell, a man was slumped forward, both hands bound in shackles.
“……”
Looking at the motionless East Asian man with dark black hair and pale skin, his head bowed low, Louis murmured softly.
“Open your eyes, Mr. Seo U-jin.”
“……”
“I know. That you’re awake.”
And at that voice, U-jin’s right eye slowly opened.
At the same time, with a jangle— of the shackles, U-jin lifted his head and his right palm.
“Long time no see.”
“…This is the first time we’ve met.”
“That’s a hurtful thing to say.”
Louis, thinking U-jin’s ‘long time no see’ was a joke, ignored the follow-up and gave a brief self-introduction.
“…This priest is named ‘Leonardo Louis Button,’ and I serve the Guardian Cross Order as an ‘Inquisitor.’”
And he was about to get straight to business.
“I believe Mr. Seo U-jin knows best why I have come here…”
“…Sorry, but I haven’t the faintest idea.”
However, U-jin did not listen to him quietly.
Seeing that face, feigning ignorance with such composure, an inexplicable anger welled up inside Louis, but he let out a faint sigh and calmly added.
“…If you don’t know, then I shall explain.”
“……”
“You are the prime suspect in the ‘Succubus Intervention in the Gateway Zone’ case. The Succubus’s intervention itself has already been confirmed through the testimonies of other Plane Transcendents… and circumstantially, the person presumed to be the Succubus’s final host is you.”
“……”
“That is why I, an ‘Inquisitor,’ have been dispatched here.”
As U-jin shrugged once, Louis supplemented his explanation with a faint sigh.
“It seems you still don’t grasp how serious this is.”
“……”
“In the common sense of the Lower-Dimensional Plane, this is no different from an enemy soldier infiltrating an allied training camp with a forged identity. And a soldier from the enemy leader's personal troops, at that.”
“……”
“And you are the most likely candidate.”
U-jin shrugged once.
“A spy in boot camp…”
“……”
“…Now that’s a spectacular affair.”
Having said that much, Louis immediately took out a small notebook from his pocket.
It was his personal notebook, in which he had reorganized an outline of the official case file.
“An exceptional level of skill shown in the First Gate and Second Gateway. The sudden attempted murder incident in the Third Gateway. And even the change in iris color, a unique symptom of ‘Succubus Transference’ proven by the testimony of others.”
“……”
“There is far too much circumstantial evidence to believe you are the Succubus’s final host.”
Louis, having briefly summarized U-jin’s record, looked him straight in the eye and asked.
“So much so that no one would object if I were to brand you a ‘Succubus Host’ right here and now and demand the death penalty.”
“……”
“It’s just that, to execute a sentence as grave as ‘death,’ The Order’s procedural verification process is mandatory, which is why we are going through this interrogation.”
U-jin, who had listened to Louis with a nod, met his direct gaze without flinching and opened his mouth.
“…Let me ask you one thing, kiddo.”
Twitch—
For a moment, a faint cross-popping vein appeared on Louis's forehead without him realizing it, but he endured it once again with a deep breath—'whoo'—and asked U-jin.
“…What is it?”
“Do you really think so?”
“…Please be specific with your subject and object.”
‘
At Louis’s very Louis-like response, U-jin let out a smirk—'psst'—and, as requested, repeated his question with the subject and object.
“I mean… do you really think that ‘I’ am the Succubus’s host?”
“…As I said, based on the various circumstances so far, the most likely suspect presumed by The Order's headquarters is you, Mr. Seo U-jin…”
Shake-shake—
At Louis's cliché answer, U-jin cut him off and shook his head.
And—
“No, I mean, besides The Order’s opinion.”
“……”
“Leonardo Louis Button.”
“……”
“In your opinion, do you think I’m acting as a minion of the Succubus right now?”
And the answer that came back to U-jin’s question was.
An astounding ‘silence.’
A silence that was neither affirmation nor denial.
“……”
Smirk—
U-jin, who smirked as if he had expected that reaction, shook his hands, making the shackles jangle, and said.
Jangle—
“Then let’s start by taking these off me. My wrists hurt.”