After finishing the meal with the Hero Party, I headed to Minerva's Library as she had told me to.
I entered the usual deserted alley, and when I turned my head, Minerva's Library appeared there as always.
"Every time I see it, it's such a convenient ability."
To be able to create a door wherever you want.
I'd love to use it every day when going home.
Feeling envious of Minerva's ability, I turned the doorknob.
*Creak—*
"I'm coming in."
"Moo—"
I lightly passed by Meowng guarding the library entrance.
Minerva was killing time in the back of the library as usual.
I approached Minerva, who was building a tower out of books.
"Minerva."
"Ah, aah! You scared me! Why would you startle me like that! The tower completely collapsed, Jun-woo!"
"...You're the one who told me to come to the library."
"Hmm, well, that's true."
Minerva sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened.
Had she been building the tower out of boredom?
She didn't seem particularly concerned about the tower collapsing.
I sat across from Minerva and asked.
"So, what did you want to tell me?"
"Didn't I say? I found the locations of two Demon Kings."
"Based on the information I gave you?"
"You could say that. First, read this."
Minerva pulled out a single jet-black book from the ruins of the collapsed book tower.
The title was "The Life of Herold Gideon."
I took the black book Minerva handed me.
"Who's Herold Gideon?"
"A knight from the dwindling Cecilia Knights. He had both arms cut off by Head of Family Lennon and took his own life."
"...Well, a knight without arms has no reason to live."
Cutting off the arms of someone who had spent their entire life aspiring to be a knight was like crushing a pianist's fingers.
It was no different from disintegrating everything they had lived for.
I understood why Herold Gideon's book had turned black.
"Meowng barely found it at dawn. If he'd died somewhere out of sight, it wouldn't have even been recorded in the library, right?"
"That's fortunate. Should I just read this?"
"Yeah, read it without pressure. The answer will be in there."
The answer about the Demon King existing in the capital.
Hoping it would be the Demon King of Envy, I opened the book and checked Herold Gideon's life.
"...A normal and stable life."
Born in a fairly good place.
Met decent parents.
Trained in the village and built up his skills.
*Father, Mother. I'm going to the capital to become a knight. Thank you for raising me all this time!*
After training hard, he went to the capital and took the knight examination.
The result was barely passing.
His skill was too ambiguous to pass, but even more ambiguous to fail.
And so, Gideon's life in the prestigious Black Crow Knights began.
"And a happy life continues. He gets paid and the people in the knights are decent."
Occasionally, Cecilia appeared in his daily life.
The Head of Family's daughter with few words and a cold expression.
Gideon developed feelings for Cecilia, who had outstanding looks.
At the same time, he also had doubts.
*Senior. Why do you call the Head of Family's daughter a demon? I don't really understand...*
*You don't know because you haven't experienced it? That girl is a demon. A demon who killed her parents when she was born. I'd kill her if I could... I don't understand why the Head of Family keeps that girl alive.*
A vicious evaluation mixed with hatred.
So this was the treatment Cecilia received in the family.
Her twisted personality must have also stemmed from these evaluations from those around her.
*Spreading thorns to defend against attacks from her surroundings...*
A hedgehog.
Cecilia during that time must have had a personality similar to a hedgehog.
Anyway.
Gideon's life in the knights proceeded normally.
Escort duty, patrol, training.
Going through such a series of processes, he gradually aged.
Then an incident occurred that turned his life in the knights upside down.
"...After Cecilia's kidnapping?"
"Yeah, this idiot had no intention of getting off the sinking ship."
Normal knights sensed something strange and left.
However, Gideon, who was relatively less capable, didn't leave.
Because of that, he lost both arms at the hands of the increasingly deranged Lennon, and headed to a cliff on his remaining two legs.
Minerva began explaining the missing content to me.
"I couldn't record the conversations inside the Black Crow Knights because there were no living beings nearby. But what this guy said before ending his life is written down, you know? Read it once."
"I was already going to read it."
"You complain even when I tell you!"
Anyway.
I decided to read Gideon's last words that Minerva mentioned.
*The Black Crow is no more... A knight order that has lost its chivalry has no future... If I had realized earlier... I wouldn't have made this choice...*
Before falling from the cliff, he left his final words to the scattering air.
*Head of Family Lennon, who has nothing left but pride... Even in death, I will watch your downfall... The Demon King who was with you when you cut off my arms... I will not forgive you for joining hands with trash like a Demon King... Someday your pride will pierce your heart...*
Those were Gideon's last words.
Since there were no more pages to turn, I put the book down on the desk.
"He must have seen the Demon King while his arms were being cut off."
"The probability is high. The stronger the negative emotions, the greater the Demon King's power becomes. So with high probability..."
"Head of Family Lennon of the Cecilia family made a contract with a Demon King. We can see it that way."
Minerva fell silent as if that was the correct answer.
The head of the prestigious Black Crow Knights had made a contract with a Demon King.
She seemed very confused about that fact.
"The Emperor's left arm. The fact that he made a contract with a Demon King will be a huge shock to the citizens."
"With the Church selling Holy Water and now the knights exploding too, it would be quite a shock."
"So, in a situation where there's a Demon King in the Church, if this matter explodes too—"
"...Wait, Minerva."
There's a Demon King in the Church too?
Minerva tilted her head as if asking why I was asking such an obvious question.
"Isn't it obvious? I said I found two Demon Kings. One is in the knights. One is in the Church. I could tell just from seeing them spreading that weird thing called Holy Water."
"Suspicion and certainty feel different..."
"I don't know, anyway I told you now so that's enough! Why is Jun-woo so dissatisfied!"
My head was spinning.
I knew where the Demon Kings were and what they were doing.
However, learning so much information at once made me think too much.
"...Minerva, I think I need to think about this."
"Yeah, you'll need some thought. You choose who to attack first. I won't bother telling you the answer."
Minerva, respecting my opinion.
I nodded to her and stood up from my seat.
Normally I would have to make the choice alone, but this time I had no intention of deciding this important matter by myself.
"I should give the Hero Party the choice."
I left the library and headed home.
My steps were a bit faster than usual.
"So in that sense, you all choose."
Whether to eliminate the Demon King of the Black Crow Knights first, or eliminate the Demon King of the Goddess Church first.
I gathered the Hero Party at the dining table and gave them the choice.
Luna raised her hand high and asked.
"Mister! Which is better?!"
"Neither is better. It's just a matter of order."
If the first Demon King we eliminate is the Demon King of Envy, it would also hasten my death.
Since we'll eliminate all the Demon Kings, it really is just a matter of order.
"Cecilia first or Estia first. You can interpret it that way."
"Then I've decided!"
Luna, who immediately said she'd decided once I changed it to people.
She shouted loudly.
"I choose Estia first! Because I like Estia! Let's eliminate the Church first!"
"Alright. One vote for the Church. Who's deciding next?"
As if waiting for my words, Cecilia quietly raised her hand and spoke.
"I think it's better to destroy the knights first."
"The reason... I won't bother asking."
There's no need to ask.
How much Cecilia hates her family—I know it all.
Juliana also seemed to know a bit about such matters and raised her hand.
"...I, I'll also vote for the knights. That place should disappear quickly..."
"Two votes for the knights. One vote for the Church."
What's left is...
"Estia. You're the only one left."
"Eh, only me? That's so much pressure!"
"Choose, Estia. Which do you want to eliminate first?"
"Uh, uhhm..."
Estia straightened her posture for the first time in a while and began seriously contemplating.
Although she had been through terrible things at the Church, she was satisfied with her current life and didn't have as much hatred as Cecilia.
A matter of personality.
Well, you could see it that way.
*To others, it looks frustratingly indecisive.*
Still, it's Estia's choice.
I should respect it.
I thought that while waiting for Estia's answer.
About a minute passed.
Estia raised her hand and shouted.
"I! I'll still choose the Church!"
"...Reason?"
"Because Cecilia chose the knights! I'm going with the Church!"
*Bleh—*
Estia stuck out her tongue to tease Cecilia.
It seemed she hadn't forgotten.
The incident at lunch when Cecilia pushed her.
Estia seemed not to have forgotten.