Carpy glanced over at Moron, who was emitting a shallow light. A mosquito the size of a man's fist had bit the kid, causing the bug to emit a weak yellow light.
While Carpy was distracted, the six-legged horse charged at him in a split second, the demon's speed increasing with each step.
The horse galloped over the water, its legs moving so quickly that Carpy could only see a blur.
Instantly, Carpy deduced that the horse had some special ability that increased its speed. They likely used the shining mosquito to distract him for a split second, which was more than enough time for the horse to attack him.
However, this revealed another of his opponents’ weaknesses; they didn't know that tricks like this were useless against Carpy. As someone who could sense creatures' energies, he didn't need to look at them to be aware of their presence.
"It seems like we have another Creator," said the chicken-headed demon, chuckling. Its eyes widened so much that it seemed like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "That will be another fine addition to my Magical Weapons stash."
Carpy's attention was immediately drawn at the mention of Magical Weapons. With a swift gesture of his tail, he halted the river's flow, causing the water to become eerily still. The sudden cessation of movement in the river caused his opponent’s eyes to widen, and the horse demon stumbled.
‘Having a Magical Weapon is akin to possessing an additional ability in one's arsenal,’ Carpy thought to himself.
With a powerful surge of his energy, Carpy uprooted the river and created hundreds of water blades. The blades gleamed menacingly in the air as they rained down upon the group, their sharp edges glinting in the dim light. Before the chicken-headed demon and his goons could even react, they were sliced into fillets by the razor-sharp blades, their bodies torn apart by the force of the water.
Carpy was surprised and confused by what had just happened.
"Huh?" he muttered to himself. He couldn't help but wonder if he had fallen under some kind of illusion.
"But didn't the chicken-headed demon say that he had Magical Weapons?" he wondered aloud. Carpy couldn't shake off his confusion. "There's no way they could have died so easily, right?"
Carpy closed his eyes and focused, trying to sense any signs of life from the area where the chicken-headed demon and his goons had been.
Carpy knew that demons could often survive wounds that would be fatal to a human a dozen times over. However, there was no way that the chicken-headed demon and his goons could have survived being turned into chunks of meat, each smaller than a baby's fist. Even for demons, there were limits to what their bodies could withstand.
Despite his best efforts, Carpy couldn't sense anything from the area where the chicken-headed demon and his goons had been. Had they really died so easily, after all their bragging? Carpy was left wondering if there was more to this than what he initially thought.
Carpy made his way over to Moron to check on the kid, relieved to see that he was okay. As he looked around, he noticed the mosquito that had been hovering around earlier. They were nothing more than lingering spirits, weaker than rats and barely a threat to anyone.
Carpy sensed that the mosquito had a weak presence, barely visible even to his heightened senses. Despite this, it was still something he should have been able to detect, especially since he had been on the lookout for a potential sneak attack.
Carpy could only come up with one explanation for why he hadn't sensed the mosquito's presence earlier: one of the now-dead demons must have possessed a specific ability to hide their presence, particularly that of insects. Otherwise, they would have surely used that same ability to deliver a sneak attack.
If there was one thing that Carpy had learned from his master, it was that even small moments like this could serve as valuable learning opportunities.
***
I stood by the sidelines as the villagers carried Myron's lifeless mother out to a carriage and wheeled her away towards the graveyard.
A small crowd had gathered around the hut, murmuring among themselves. With a quick use of Ord, I could hear their conversations perfectly.
"Where's the kid?"
"He was talking about a demon by the river. He's probably there."
"Do you think a demon made the kid kill his mother?"
Ignoring the gossip, I focused on the village elder, who was deep in conversation with a few similarly-aged friends.
"We should hire an exorcist," whispered one of the people standing close to the village elder.
"Are you crazy? We're still suffering from the last time we hired an exorcist. A demon might kill us all, but starvation will definitely kill us," declared the other old man. He was tall and lanky with a beak-like nose and a pair of small round glasses hanging at the tip of his nose.
The village elder's face seemed tense, and he appeared to be deep in thought. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, even though it wasn't that hot. I caught his eyes for a brief moment, but he quickly averted his gaze when he realized I was looking at him.
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"Everyone, due to the recent concerns, I have decided to hire an exorcist," declared the village elder.
Some seemed relieved at the choice, while others grumbled, but most were doing both.
Exorcists got paid a lot. After all, they put their lives on the line for each mission. With so much money, many thought it would stop most exorcists from abusing their power to do criminal activities.
While such a system may seem effective in theory, the reality was that it was similar to how politicians were paid well in most developed countries as a means to prevent corruption. However, it was no secret that this was not a foolproof solution, and it didn’t take a genius to find out how people could take advantage of that.
Also, the reality was that for each winner, there were often many losers. That kind of money couldn't simply appear out of thin air; someone always had to pay for it.
The situation was tough for the villagers, and they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Small villages like this often disappear without a trace, and I doubted anyone would pay attention to it if something happened to them.
Rose's father approached me and asked. "Are you okay?"
I nodded. "Yes. By now, I have grown used to corpses in my line of work."
"Huh, I didn't know that adventurers who liked to explore the world would deal with nasty things like this," said the old man.
"Well, the world isn't a pretty place," I said as an excuse.
"Ah, that somewhat shatters my young teenage dreams of seeing the world," the old man chuckled, but then he sighed dispiritedly and looked down. "It seems like the outside world ain’t any better than here."
"Sometimes you have to see the ugly to appreciate the beauty of it," I reassured him.
To him, this small village where he grew up was nothing special. But for me, who had been living a life of constant danger and uncertainty, always trying to stay one step ahead of my enemies, this place was a paradise compared to the world I knew.
Though beauty was in the eye of the beholder, I doubt I would have been able to enjoy this place as much as I was without at first knowing that nothing within a 10-mile radius could touch me even if I had my hands tied behind my back.
Power changed people's perspectives. It sure did for me.
Suddenly, I felt a slight tug on my Ord. It was a signal from Carpy, and it seemed urgent.
"Excuse me, I need to take a break and clear my head," I said, coming up with an excuse to leave. I turned to leave, but Rose's father stopped me.
"Take all the time you need, son," he said kindly.
I had planned to stay in the village for a while, enjoy some peace and quiet, and pay for the food I ate before returning to the war between humans and demons. But now, with the news of the exorcist's arrival, I knew that my peaceful respite was coming to an end.
I wasn't too excited to go back since things had changed so much that I was pretty sure my knowledge of this war was nearly obsolete by now. The only advantage I could count on was that I knew the special abilities of many people.
As I walked further, my Ord tugging at my senses, I stumbled upon a clearing, and to my surprise, Carpy was hovering down from a tree. Next to him was a small child riding in a bubble of water.
There was also another bubble, and inside it were chunks of humanoid and animal demon bodies. "Who are they?"
"Some demons tried to attack me. They seemed threatening, so I went seriously against them. Sorry master, I didn't think they would die so easily." Carpy apologized.
I didn't mind his mistake. We had constantly been battling against enemies that were stronger than the previous ones.
There was no chance we would stumble upon a demon stronger than Carpy in the middle of nowhere. That was the kind of thing Agon would encounter, but the reality for most people wasn't that exciting.
Just as I was thinking of what to do next, I caught sight of the body chunks of what seemed like a chicken head. "Did one of the demons have a chicken head?"
"Yes?" Carpy seemed confused by my question.
It reminded me of what Rose's friend had said. The chicken-headed demon had attacked the village, resulting in many people's deaths, and Rose's brothers had died there. "Explain everything to me from the beginning."
…
After Carpy told me everything that had happened until now, it worried me a bit.
Did that demon imply that it was giving human children the ability to use Ord, and if they were Creators he would kill them and collect their Magical Weapons if they ended up manifesting one?
Also, it paid off an Exorcist? Now that was hard to believe, but if it was true, this could be a very troublesome situation.
Those kinds of things are something the higher-ups and exorcist clans don't want getting out. They didn't mind being seen as evil, but this economy of trust where no matter what, Exorcists are forbidden to cooperate with demons.
But if people started questioning that aspect, they might not go to Exorcists.
Of course, with how cautious the higher-ups were around the subject, word of what happened would never get out of this village. The more likely scenario was that this incident would be isolated, and this village would be 'mysteriously' destroyed by a demon. There will be no witnesses and everyone will accept that truth and question nothing.
The worst thing was that the kind of people who would get their hands dirty with this kind of job was the Dark Sword Clan.
Was I going to allow them to do that? Of course not. I liked this place.
Did doing this have any kind of benefits? No, not really.
Ever since the beginning, I had prepared myself to do deplorable things for the greater good. Anything that would increase the chances of humanity not getting wiped out and millions dying.
What I liked to do didn't matter. I only did what I thought was needed for a better future. Wasting time and saving a village like this didn't contribute to a better future in any way.
"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honored one," I muttered under my breath.
These words finally made sense. The Demonic Exorcist was a crazy bastard, but he was someone who did whatever he wanted.
I had been willing to sacrifice my feelings on these matters. "Carpy, get ready for a show. It seems like we will have to get a better look at what the local exorcists are like."
My goals hadn't changed, but spending time in this village opened my eyes. It reminded me of something I had forgotten.
From now on, screw benefits; I will do what I want to do!
As I spoke, I felt my Ord pulsating beneath my skin, its energy surging through my veins like a living thing. I couldn't help but be amazed at the way it moved, twisting and turning as if it had a life of its own. It was a strange and wondrous feeling.