Paradigm Parasite

Rick Pov

"What?"

Roe stops in his tracks when he hears my words.

"What do you mean?"

His expression and tone have not changed, but his mood has changed.

Clearly, confusion was evident.

Roe was about to do something, but shook his head, took a deep breath, and turned his gaze toward me.

"............. Let's just hear what you have to say, ......."

Apparently, he's willing to listen to what I have to say.

"I'm grateful for your help, but I still have work to do. I have to defeat Darzain and correct the corruption in Gnosis. That's what I have to do for the sake of all those who sacrificed their lives! So wait until then."

"......... So you want me to wait until Darzain is defeated and there is peace?"

"Yes. Once that is done, the promise will be fulfilled..."

"When is that?"

I was unable to continue and closed my mouth when he interrupted me.

"Did you not understand the question? When exactly are you asking me that? Tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? Or a year from now?"

"That's..."

"You can't say, can you? You don't know the scale of the people you have to defeat, so you can only answer, "I don't know.' You, that one? Are you trying to smoke me out by saying random things?"

"No! I'm..."

"I gave you the power to take revenge. It is not the power to change the world. Oh, don't tell me I'm not saying it or I'm not telling you what I'm going to do."

Roe continued with a biting tone.

"Well, let's say I wait for payment. What happens if you get the guys to fight back? Are you just going to say, 'I couldn't pay?'"

"No, I won't do that! With this power, I won't lose!"

"Don't be so smug. Do you really think I'll take your words seriously?"

I'm at a loss for words.

What Roe is saying is simple: "Keep your word." That's all he's saying.

I have to convince him somehow....

I don't want to be too ungrateful since he saved my life....

--But to give your life in exchange... did you make such a promise?

--Oh, no. It's definitely a bad idea, so just say whatever you want and get out of here.

Roe exhales lightly.

"I get the story. You're going to skip out on paying me for something I loaned you, aren't you?"

"No..."

"If you say it's not true, show me the evidence."

The evidence... the evidence that I will fulfill my promise.

I thought for a moment and then drew my sword.

This is the only way to convince him. I have to convince him of my ability.

"I will not be defeated. I will beat Darzain and fulfill my promise. I will prove it by defeating you!"

I won't kill you, but I will show you my resolve.

"Ah, I see. So you've reopened your mind. That's enough, I'm not happy about it. You're going to die here."

I stepped forward with all my strength, broke the gap between us, and tried to slash at him....

I feel a sharp pain in my chest, and the strength drains out of my body.

"Ga...ha..."

My legs become entangled and I fall down. I drop my sword and fall to the ground at Roe's feet.

My head is trampled and my face is pressed against the ground through my helmet.

"The "heart" buried in your chest. Who do you think prepared it for you? Of course I'd have a gimmick to stop it remotely, wouldn't I? Frankly, I had no intention of using it, but now that you've been so hypocritically put up to it, I have no reason to hesitate."

...My body is heavy...What in the world...?

"What is this "I will not be defeated"? Don't make me laugh. You'll be dead before your tongue's dry."

--Rick, what's wrong?

--I'm sure "heart" is a catalyst...

I hear two voices, but I don't have time to react.

"I can't remember the last time I've been so ridiculed since I've been over here. In a way, it was a valuable experience."

As he says this, Roe picks up the sword I dropped.

--That's not good. Rick, move! He's going to kill you!

--He can't move! I thought it was strange, but it's almost like a demon... no, it was used as a catalyst to keep his ego alive? If so, there's no way he can move if his heart is stopped and there's no magical supply to sustain his body!

--Then what do we do...?

--There is a way, instructor.

--What?

--The karma that demons feed on is a mass of magical power. Perhaps that's what we're in now. So...

--By using ourselves, somehow.

-- It's only temporary.

Without paying attention to the conversation between the two of them, the sword that was being lowered came closer and closer...

Mc Pov

The sword I swung at him was swatted away.

Seeing this, I frown inwardly.

...What? He could still move?

I thought emotionlessly.

Even so, it was unexpected to be overturned so brazenly.

Really, nothing good has happened since I came to this town....

There is a group of weirdos called "Darzain" who have a realistic "Chuunibyouji" syndrome, and Gnosis, who has cozied up to them and played a part in this disaster. To top it all off, there was Aquiel, a giant demon that looked like a monster.

...That alone is unbearably unpleasant, and now this?

I let out a sigh inwardly.

After killing Aquiel, what I did was to put my body back together.

First of all, I rebuilt my original body. The next step was to dispose of the enlarged body.

I simply ate it and converted it into energy. Thanks to this, my stomach is feeling better.

The last thing I needed was clothes. Since there was nothing I could do about this, I had no choice but to take a piece of a flower petal that Aquiel had blown off that had fallen nearby, shred it into small pieces, and wrap it around my waist.

It felt like it was going to give me a rash, but since I had nothing else to wear, I decided to put up with it.

Dressed in nothing but a waistcloth, I would have been arrested in Japan, and headed for Rick's place.

After that, I searched the area around me with detection magic, looking for survivors, but the area where I was fighting was completely deserted. Of course it was.

After they died, their souls were eaten by me or Aquiel. There would be nothing left.

Incidentally, there were a large number of Darzain among the souls that were eaten, so I have a rough idea of the size and number of these people.

They were, alas, ordered not to leave the city until at least the ceremony was over.

And if they left, it would be considered a betrayal, so Darzain is a black organization, if anything.

There's no getting away from it, as long as it explodes if they betrays the group.

Thanks to the memory extraction, I have learned a lot of things.

Almost all of them have already been dealt with, but in the end, it seems that their goal was to summon demons.

On that point alone, they succeeded, but the strange thing is that none of them knew what was going on next.

I don't know what to say, but something smells fishy at this point.

I was suspicious when Iger was in charge of the project.

Iger was a man of high status who had succeeded in transplanting a "part" of the demon, but with the proviso of "relatively" at the head of the list.

It seems that Darzain's pecking order is proportional to the type of part that was transplanted.

In other words, no matter how many eyeballs are implanted in his body, he will be treated as lower in rank than someone who has one "eye" and one "ear."

In other words, the conclusion is that Iger is not that great.

If you look at the situation alone, the line of dogmatism is strong.

But isn't that considered a betrayal?

In fact, as long as he was alive, he must have slipped through somehow.

Let's return to the story.

Basically, they summon lower to middle class demons, and it seems that the main purpose of summoning them is to use them by removing their body parts without using them directly.

Since their goal is to become biologically stronger, it is understandable that they would be collecting materials for remodeling.

However, this time the story was different.

Iger was working with Void to gather mid-level demons and use their nucleus - their "heart" - as a catalyst to summon someone of a higher rank. Was he trying to use them?

I can only guess, since there is no one who knows about it.

The process of summoning intermediate level demons was quite sophisticated, as if they were used to it.

First, the selection of catalysts. It seems that a person who is enjoying his or her life is preferable.

It is said that killing them by making them despair would be a good material for the catalyst.

...that's a discrepancy with the Fatima story.

Is that the difference between a gap in knowledge and a real job?

It seems to me that the key to summoning is definitely "emotion".

I've heard that many criminals have depressed emotions, so I guess I'm not far off the mark.

Incidentally, the demon I killed in the basement was controlled by transplanting a whole human being to replace the lost nucleus before he died after removing the nucleus. To be honest, it was a pretty lousy weapon for a weapon that would end if it killed the person it was buried in, since it served as both control and power.

...It's a bare weak point, isn't it?

As for the reason for the rampage in the city, it seems to be to collect as many dead bodies as possible to enhance its status as a ceremonial altar....

This is also iffy. The guy who knows about it said that Iger explained it to him.

It's all the more suspicious.

...I can only say that I feel sorry for those who were killed for such a reason.

I don't know if they could or couldn't control Aquiel, but I took care of him, so either way, the plan is dead in the water.

If I believe their memories, and since they can't get out of this town, can I assume they've all been wiped out?

I'd better check it out, just in case.

It's a pain in the ass, but if I leave it alone, it could get even more troublesome.

I think I'll go check on Rick before I do that.

I've got Aquiel under control so he doesn't get in the way, and Void is dead.

I've given him his gear, and I've taken all possible precautions. No way he was going to lose.

I hear the faintest hint of a battle on the outskirts of town.

...You've moved a long way, haven't you?

I followed the signs and found Rick, who was just in the process of cutting up a dog-like creature.

I tilt my head and wonder, "Oh?" I was sure he was fighting Iger... but could that dog-like thing be the one? I looked around, but there were only black shadows wandering around, but no one that looked like that.

...Looks like you got it all worked out.

"Well, it looks like you're done here, too. I guess I should congratulate you?"

The timing seemed right, so I decided to call out to him.

From the way he was talking, it seemed to go well.

After that, we changed locations and were about to collect when Rick said, "Wait for your payment."

What?

Did he suddenly want to spare his life? That? You got what you got and you don't care about the rest?

For a moment, anger welled up in me at the thought, but I shook my head to calm down.

Wait, wait. It's too early to make assumptions. First of all, I need to hear what he has to say.

I felt my anger welling up even more after I heard what he had to say.

Defeat Darzain? Denounce the corruption of Gnosis?

What is this guy talking about?

Then it occurred to me.

Ah, I get it. He's going to say some random thing and put it off.

When I pressed him for specifics, he just kept on saying things like, "I'll pay you when it's over," "I'm not going to lose," and other baseless things.

At that point, my opinion of Rick dropped not to the ground but to the underground.

Why should I believe a word you say? Why should I believe you when you are about to contradict your word right in front of my eyes?

Let's say I believe you and agree to do it. Then you successfully accomplish your goal.

...And what's your next excuse?

Will you just go along with it? Or get married and use that as an excuse to get away with it?

Maybe he'll say he has a child in his wife's womb.

Well, there is a chance that he would give her up...but I don't believe it.

And more to the point, it would be a risk for me to let you out of here as it is.

In the unlikely event that word gets out about me, Darzain and Gnosis will be all over me.

Screw it.

Why should I take such a risk?

As I was thinking about killing this guy, Rick said he would beat me to prove that he wouldn't die.

...He's just going to keep on going!

That was the moment I knew Rick had to be dealt with.

I sent an order to Rick's "heart," which had come charging at me in a foolishly honest manner, to stop the supply of magic power.

Instantly, Rick became weak and fell over.

Oh come on, who do you think prepared that heart for him?

Rick's heart is a trophy I got at the altar, and I'm using it as is.

Of course, it has a "root" in case he betrays me, so it can be remotely shut down at will.

I honestly didn't think I'd ever have to use it.

I pick up the sword that Rick had taken down.

He was talking all cool and heroic, but who's going to lend you the power if you're not going to give it back? Let me rephrase. Do you think I gave you a favor?

I should have swung down and been done with it, but to my surprise, he brushed my sword away with the back of his hand.

Strange, isn't it? I thought he could barely maintain his body and couldn't move....

I tilted my head inwardly and readjusted my sword, a little wary.