Generally, sniffing out a Succubus that has infiltrated a human is nearly impossible.
As long as a Succubus was determined to hide its body within a host, any attempt to distinguish it by appearance was utterly meaningless.
And unless one directly witnessed the Succubus transference, it didn't leave any particular mana patterns or traces.
For this reason, even within The Order, cases involving the intervention of a ‘Succubus’ were bound to face difficulties.
No, it wasn’t just Succubi; all Demonic Species possessed their own unique trickiness.
When a Demonic Species was involved, it was an arduous task to hope for a resolution through a normal human’s thought process.
Thus, the Order had long maintained a group of specialists for Greater Demonic Species.
They were the ‘Inquisitors,’ who identified Demonic Species, and under them, the ‘Exorcists,’ a group specializing in their extermination.
Only they, the specialists in dealing with Demonic Species, could properly handle cases related to Succubi.
…And that.
Was why the Inquisitor, ‘Leonardo Louis Button,’ had come here.
“Then let’s start by taking these off me. My wrists hurt.”
“……”
Looking into the eyes of the kid who was contemplating, not answering my question immediately, I was certain.
He had already made a judgment in his heart.
‘Just as I thought.’
This kid was a veteran who had spent over a hundred years roaming the continent, hunting down nothing but Demonic Species.
A veteran of Louis’s caliber could probably tell whether someone was possessed by a Succubus or not just by the look in their eyes.
Besides, while it seemed invisible to the eyes of this moronic Gateway Order of Priests, if one considered the few remaining traces, it should be clear that I wasn't a host being manipulated by the Succubus.
Even if he sometimes missed the mark on strange things, there was no way that specialist in detecting Demonic Species would miss it.
Tap—
Louis, who had been silent, got down from his chair and slowly approached me.
Then he took out a key and unlocked the shackles on my wrists.
Clank—
“…Don’t misunderstand. I haven’t concluded that you are not the Succubus’s host. It is merely for the sake of a smoother conversation during the interview…”
Smirk—
“Such a pretense.”
At my blunt remark, the cross-popping vein on Louis’s forehead seemed to darken a little, but once again, he endured it.
Instead, he looked down at his notebook and made a demand.
“Since I have granted Mr. Seo U-jin’s request first… please cooperate with a few questions.”
“Okay.”
As if he had written down the questions in advance, the kid immediately opened his mouth and asked.
“First. You are accused of stabbing the Plane Transcendent ‘Kim Sia’ with a knife. This is despite there being no discernible motive.”
“That’s right.”
“…What was the reason?”
Judging by his gaze, he was asking a question he already knew the answer to.
So.
“You can pretty much figure it out by looking at the wound.”
I also answered in a way he could roughly understand.
As expected, when I said that, he interpreted it himself.
“…Are you saying that the original Succubus host was the Plane Transcendent Kim Sia, and this was a method you devised to extract the Succubus from her body?”
“That’s right.”
“…And the proof of that is the fact that the blade you stabbed her with stopped 2mm in front of her heart.”
“Yep.”
“…And the reason you had the people around you ingest Holy Water beforehand was to prevent the Succubus from moving to another body and causing further harm.”
“…Right.”
In truth, it was less about preventing further harm and more because I thought it would be a pain in the ass if the Succubus crawled into someone else… but there seemed no need to argue the point in this atmosphere, so I just gave a rough nod.
But his ‘jumping to conclusions’ didn't end there.
“That would mean… Mr. Seo U-jin, you knew the Succubus had hidden inside Kim Sia even before entering the Third Gateway. Since you prepared the Holy Water in advance.”
“……”
“Was it from the Second Gateway?”
“Uh… well.”
“…No. To say you noticed in the Second Gateway, your actions were too bold, Mr. Seo U-jin. In my opinion, it is believed you sensed something strange about the Plane Transcendent Kim Sia even before entering the Gateway Zone, back in the Lower-Dimensional Plane… is that correct?”
“……”
Actually, I thought it was probably during the First Gate.
The Succubus had definitely blurted out something like, ‘I thought something strange had rolled in, so I even made sure to mark you…’
In my past life, it had used someone else as a host to enter the Gateway Zone.
The explanation that the ‘Succubus’ had taken over Kim Sia’s shell around the time we parted ways at the First Gate fit best.
…The problem was, I couldn't explain it by bringing up my ‘past life’ without revealing my Regression.
So I just.
“Uh…”
Said yes.
“Yeah, something like that… She was a bit strange from the start, down below.”
“For example?”
“Hmm… uh… I don’t know exactly, but she was probably sticking flowers in her hair and talking to strangers. Like a crazy bitch…?”
“I see… so the clue that you were from the same region fits together like this. The explanation for how the Succubus entered the Gateway Zone, though the method is unknown, also falls into place.”
Louis nodded with satisfaction, as if all his deductions were correct.
“……”
Thinking about how Kim Sia’s personal information would be recorded with distortions in his notebook, I felt a strange sense of apology towards her, but it couldn't be helped.
There was no way I could reveal, ‘I knew everything because I’m a Regressor.’
The explanation he spouted was the most plausible one.
It was then.
“I will ask the second question.”
Louis’s expression turned serious, and his eyes met mine.
“To be honest, I had anticipated things up to this point. There are individuals who are particularly sensitive to Demonic Species, and I believe you, Mr. Seo U-jin, fall into that category.”
“……”
“However, what comes after this is something I cannot explain with my own head. Ultimately, it is because of this part that The Order's headquarters has identified you as the final host of the Succubus.”
It felt like the previous part was the introduction, and this was the main subject.
The atmosphere grew heavier.
The question that followed from the kid was.
“Where is the Succubus now?”
He had hit the core of the issue.
“…Personally, I hope that you are not under the Succubus’s wicked spell. The talent to smell Demonic Species is a very rare ability, even in the Upper Plane.”
“……”
“However, if this part cannot be explained, I have no choice. I will have to proceed with the inquisition process under the assumption that you are the final host.”
“……”
“And the inquisition process… is not conducted with much mercy.”
An ambiguous addendum that could be a recommendation or a threat.
Matching that tone exactly, I too gave an ambiguous answer.
“Well now—”
“……?”
“Since it’s a Succubus, it’s probably in hell, don’t you think? It wouldn’t have gone to heaven.”
A moment of silence followed.
Louis’s brow furrowed in disbelief.
“By that, you mean…”
Figuring he would just ask again if I left it at that, I added a bit more explanation.
“If you want to be technical about it, I am the final host of the Succubus.”
“……!”
“The Succubus did move from Kim Sia to me and even entered my mindscape. But—”
Unable to just change his expression, Louis’s face twisted.
Shrug—
“I took care of it there, so I haven't really felt any effects since.”
“…That is impossible.”
“Well… if you can’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
His immediate disbelief was, in fact, only natural.
Resisting and eliminating a Succubus that had entered one’s mindscape was something only the more experienced members of the Exorcist unit under his command could do.
It wasn't a light matter that a mere rookie who had just passed the Third Gateway could talk about.
Louis, seemingly shocked by my words, asked with a hardened expression.
“Can you be certain of what you just said?”
“Yep.”
“…Think a little more before you answer. If there is even a shred of a lie mixed in, you will be immediately indicted by The Order as the final host of the Succubus.”
“I answered because I didn't need to think.”
“……”
At my immediate reply, as if he had made a decision.
Louis pushed aside his priestly vestments and took out a necklace.
And he muttered softly.
“Inquisition. I shall execute it.”
Grin—.
At the words I had been waiting for, I unknowingly raised the corners of my mouth.
‘…Okay.’
The unique trait granted only to Louis among The Order’s Inquisitors, `<Unique Trait: Inquisitor of the Scales>`.
Befitting its name, a magical power extended from the cross, forming a golden scale before my eyes.
“The inquisition is normally used to confirm the sentence of a likely criminal suspect. However, in extremely rare cases, it is used for the opposite.”
“……”
“This Scale is a tool that measures the Demonic Nature within you. To put it simply, it measures how much your inner self favors evil.”
“That’s amazing.”
“…Ordinary humans possess about two to three-tenths of Demonic Nature.”
Louis continued speaking as he slowly walked over.
“And priests who serve The Order usually have a Demonic Nature of less than one-tenth. However—”
“……”
“Someone bewitched by a Succubus will show a Demonic Nature of over seven-tenths, even if they are a priest.”
The kid finally arrived in front of me.
“Measuring one’s preference for good and evil with numbers… that sounds pretty bogus.”
“…It is certainly not an easy task to judge an individual’s morality… but.”
“……”
“This Scale calculates its data based on a far more complex combination of factors than you think, including hatred for evil, blind faith in good, unconscious representations, memories, and experiences, so you can trust it.”
“…So you’re saying it’s right, so I should just shut up and follow.”
“…I did not say to shut up.”
Smiling at the kid who remained so particular to the end, I raised both my hands.
“Okay.”
“……”
At my consent, he immediately brought the cross to my heart.
And then.
Tiring—
[You have been selected as the target of <Unique Trait: Inquisitor of the Scales>.]
[Executing psychoanalysis.]
Along with a floating sensation, as if experiencing an out-of-body experience, the scale in front of my eyes became clearer.
[Analyzing the comprehensive mental system by synthesizing thoughts, memories, experiences, emotions, ego, actions, and impulses.]
The bizarre feeling of some transcendent being prying open my head lasted only a moment.
A message appeared, and the scale, which had been bobbing up and down, grew still.
[…Analysis complete.]
And then, an astonishing message appeared.
[Demonic Nature measurement result …1.38%]
“……!”
Clatter—
Louis, who seemed to have seen the same message as I did, unknowingly dropped the cross necklace from his hand.
Grin—
I casually caught the necklace and put it back around his neck.
“Whoops.”
“No way…”
“That looks valuable, you shouldn't handle it so carelessly.”
The kid was speechless, wearing a rare expression I wished I could take a picture of.
It was understandable.
“This value…”
The Demonic Nature value calculated by Louis’s scale was, to put it simply, a measure of how close one was to the personification of ‘evil,’ which could be called the identity of the Demon King's Army.
Just as there is the concept of Original Sin, every human is born with a trace of evil in their hearts.
That’s why they make mistakes and hesitate over things that are obviously right.
As he said, the inner nature of a typical human, no matter how good, couldn't drop below a Demonic Nature value of two-tenths.
Among those who received priestly ordination, the respectable ones were below 10%.
And in reality, the so-called great high-ranking priests of The Order barely managed to record below 5%.
Considering that there was almost no one, even among those who had received the rank of bishop, who recorded a Demonic Nature value below 3%, it was clear just how low a value of 1.38% was.
“……”
He would know best.
Since there was a ritual step of measuring Demonic Nature during the sacrament of bishop ordination, he must have witnessed it numerous times himself.
That there was almost no one with a Demonic Nature this low.
…Well, of course, there were humans like the Saintess whose Demonic Nature dropped below 1%... but that was a whole different story.
“How about it. Am I free?”
“……”
For the kid who still hadn't recovered from the shock even at my question, I asked once more.
“I’m free?”
“Ah…”
Only then did he let out a low exclamation and barely open his mouth.
“…There are still some procedural hassles remaining, but.”
“……”
“With a Demonic Nature value of this level, the explanation that you eliminated the Succubus yourself in your mindscape seems plausible.”
Louis still had a dazed look on his face as he answered.
I patted his small shoulders and said.
Pat, pat—
“These things happen in life. Don’t be too shocked. It’s because you’re still young.”
“…This priest is one hundred and seventy-nine years old this year…”
“Don’t nitpick. Just let the small stuff go, kiddo.”
“…I asked back because it didn’t seem like a small thing.”
“Whatever.”
Putting our brief, bickering behind us, I said to him.
“Hurry up and go take care of that procedural hassle. I’m hungry.”
“……”
Only then did the kid turn, open the iron door, and bow his head to me with an unnecessarily serious expression.
“…On behalf of The Order, I apologize. Due to the gravity of the case, the process of confinement and interrogation was mandatory. I ask for your generous understanding.”
“So stuffy… I get it, so just go already.”
“…It will take about half a day, as an official notice must be sent from The Order's headquarters to the Gateway Order of Priests. I will personally request it so that you can be exonerated as quickly as possible.”
“Okay.”
Halt—
“Ah, and…”
“……?”
The kid, who was about to leave, stopped for a moment.
“After you are formally appointed as a Hero Candidate, there is something I would like to discuss with you separately, Mr. Seo U-jin.”
“…Do whatever.”
“Then…”
With my nod as the true final signal, the kid left through the iron door.
Creeak— Clank.
And only after I was certain he had completely left the cell—
“Phew…”
Could I finally let out a breath of relief.
“I thought I was caught…”