Chapter 69: Everything Was as It Had Been Yesterday
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
Mira — the lady’s name was Mira. When the devil saw her again, she was cradling a tiny little being, like a human, yet smaller and softer than any human. They called it a baby — Mira and Zoltán’s child.
Following the route Zoltán had provided, they escaped the Arcane Covenant’s base. The devil was desperate to leave that place. He wanted to flee all the pain and darkness. The outside world held the words Mira had taught him, the songs she had sung.
He killed many guards. Compared to the monsters he had fought before, they were no match. He did not understand why Zoltán and Mira could not handle the guards — they were so small, so weak. They moved through dim corridors, traveling through vast, deep mountains and forests to find the right path.
For the first time, he saw the sky, the trees, and the real earth. Everything was magnificent, overwhelming his senses. His chest heaved violently, and only then did he understand the meaning of the word “freedom”.
They spent several days in the forest. The devil eliminated every threat to Zoltán and Mira.
Mira reached out and touched his hair, saying, “Thank you, child.”
The infant in her arms was her child, not him. Hearing her call him that made the devil’s eyes burn. He had felt this sensation before — usually when he could no longer endure the torment. But now, he did not feel pain. In fact, he felt… happy.
One day, they were found again. The pursuers spoke at length to Zoltán. The devil did not understand, only sensed that it was not good. At first, the spellcasters controlled him with his true name. He could not exert his power. But when he saw Mira get injured while protecting her child, he broke free in anger.
He killed most of the pursuers, but one managed to escape.
At the same time, his body — the flesh golem made from corpses — was deteriorating, about to entirely break down. Once the body decayed, he would return to his previous state — a mere soul, unable to perceive or act. Those researchers would find him, place him in another body, and resume tormenting him, making him fight monsters…
He grew weaker, unable to stand.
“Mira…” the devil croaked hoarsely, “is she okay? Is she safe?”
Zoltán staggered forward, kneeling beside him. “She is not in mortal danger — just unconscious. But our son…” Zoltán choked, unable to continue. The tiny infant was already completely cold.
“He’s dead,” Zoltán said. “I have to leave. I may not return. Mira cannot lose any more — she cannot bear it.” He paused, then cupped the devil’s face. “I promised you freedom. You have it now. In return…protect her for me.”
“What?” The devil did not know what death meant. Instinct told him this had to be terrifying. “You’re leaving? Where to?”
Zoltán drew a dagger, his expression cold. “I have something I must do. I cannot protect her anymore. I ask you…please help me one last time. Your body is failing anyway.”
“I don’t understand… how am I supposed to help you?” He saw Zoltán drive the dagger down. The devil’s body was so wounded that he could no longer feel pain.
He heard Zoltán say to him one last time. “The people coming to meet us will arrive soon. They’ll give you a good life. I have to go back and stall those others — otherwise even Mira can’t escape…”
When a living being is at death’s door, its heart is extracted, and sorcery is applied to preserve its soul; then a new body is found, its chest opened in the same way, and the soul is transferred into this new vessel. The wounds on the new body heal, and the soul fuses completely with it, allowing it to live and grow as a normal, living creature.
Zoltán cut open his son’s chest and transferred the devil’s soul inside.
The sorcery he performed was more than this alone — he also sealed the devil’s memories. Originally, the devil had been difficult to control, but arriving in the new body — a fragile, helpless infant who had not yet fully awakened — allowed Zoltán’s spell to succeed.
He completed the spell before the wound on the baby’s chest fully healed. This way, in the future, it would be difficult for anyone to detect traces of the spell, as they would be hidden when the soul fully synchronized with the body.
Zoltán did not know how long the memory-sealing spell would last. Perhaps a day or two…or several years? As long as the devil fragment’s memories remained dormant, the child would remain human, growing, aging naturally. Only if one day he remembered everything would his soul dominate the body. Then, although the vessel remained, he would no longer be human.
For now, however, Mira could not lose her child. To give her the courage to keep moving forward, her son had to “live”. Having completed this, Zoltán returned to face those pursuing them. His innate Eyes of Truth could see through illusions and detect monsters summoned by sorcerers, which is why those people had burned his eyes.
While still alive, Zoltán had been turned into a “Silent Golem”, devoting everything to the Arcane Covenant; Mira awoke and, under the protection of Rangers, fled abroad with the surviving “child”, returning to her grandparents’ old house. She gave thanks to the heavens. The “devil” had sacrificed himself to protect them. She had lost Zoltán — but at least she still had Coraci.
Later, she joined the Unthreatening Creature Protection Association, rising from a regular exorcist to instructor, and eventually leaving West Bay City to work for the U.S. branch due to operational needs. She had never imagined that her child had died more than twenty years ago.
When she heard that Coraci exhibited the traits of a devil, she — once a sorcerer, once a member of the Arcane Covenant — immediately understood what might have happened all those years ago. Based on the available information, she could deduce which sorceries could accomplish a perfect soul transfer — she had even taught Coraci this spell, which he had used to save the Cave Lizardman.
Mira — that is, Devine — she knew who the current “Coraci” really was. The experimental subject unearthed by the Arcane Covenant, a fragment of a devil left over from centuries ago. The pale, withered youth whose eyes would shine whenever she sang a folk song.
On one hand, there was Devine’s confession and speculation; on the other, there were the details provided by Russell, who had participated in the hunting operation. Together, the people of the Association had a nearly complete understanding of what had happened.
John knew even more. When the “bond” took place, he directly saw Coraci — or rather, the memories of the devil fragment. He had expected darkness and despair, but there was none of that. The memories sealed within Coraci contained no hatred, only deep resentment and sorrow. There was even more: a longing for the world, an uncontainable passion for the unknown.
The exorcists said that the “devil fragment” was much easier to handle than a full devil. If Coraci had been an ancient demon, things would have been far worse. They speculated that some sorcerers, during the era when devils were being exterminated, had secretly collected a small fragment of a devil’s soul and sealed it in a special crystal. Only in recent times had the Arcane Covenant rediscovered it and begun studying it.
Some worried: if devil fragments exist, could a complete devil reappear? Eventually, they concluded it was unlikely. If a complete devil did exist, the world would be far more chaotic and terrifying than it is now.
John no longer concerned himself with such discussions. He buried himself in his work — sorting reports and forms at a temporary office, conducting regular follow-ups on creatures registered with the Association, occasionally going out to handle disputes when winged creatures violated flight regulations…
Everything he did was what Coraci would have done. He tried, as much as possible, to perform as well as Coraci would.
Carolyn took several months to fully recover. John, for the first time, directly felt how fragile humans truly were — not long ago, he had been terrified of her. Under Liz’s guidance, Mariana was now able to assist with document organization and transcribing ancient texts, and it was said she planned to join the Association in the future.
At sunrise, John returned to the old house in the suburbs. It was far from quiet: on the second floor, rat-folk chattered about celebrities; on the third floor, a succubus was confined.
Yes — just like the first time he had met Coraci, there was now an incubus — male succubus — in the house.
The nearby town had discovered it. A violent offender and extremely dangerous, it was temporarily restrained by John in a room with a protective array on the third floor. This incubus was an international criminal, and the Cyprus branch of the Association was responsible for apprehending it. John was waiting for their arrival to take it away.
Under the overcast sky and the dim interior, with the Abyssal demon’s roars echoing upstairs… John felt, for a moment, as if he had returned to the first day he met Coraci.
In this large house, he now lived alone. Before, it had been Coraci; later, they had shared it together; now it was just John. At first, he wanted to leave, unwilling to live in Coraci’s house. Later, he abandoned the thought because this house was more than just a building.
Many beings in need temporarily stayed here; dark creatures waiting to leave the country awaited their papers here, and confused individuals often called to ask for help.
“Before you are human or bloodkin, you are first and foremost a staff member of the Association,” Coraci had once told him.
So John stayed. He continued the life and work he had known, as if Coraci had never left. Deep down, he held a secret hope: as a bloodkin with a long life, perhaps one day, everything would settle, Coraci would no longer need to hide or run, and then he would return here — and nothing in this house would have changed.
A few minutes later, the staff from the Cyprus branch arrived, taking the male incubus away in a Prison Cart. John shook hands with them, exchanged thanks, and watched the car drive off.
Everything was as it had been yesterday. Standing in the shadow of the doorway under the morning light, he could not help but miss Coraci. His partner, mentor, closest friend — he was certain of one thing: he loved him deeply.
Author’s Note:
The first season is over (…hey).
Next up will be the beginning of the second season XD
…Actually, there’s no real “first season” or “second season”; it just felt to me, while writing, as if the first season had really ended… Next time, it’ll start like a new season. I’m really looking forward to their reunion (< — is this what an author is supposed to say…).
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