After visiting several houses and continuing their inquiries, Romei and Aron returned to their lodging in Picardin only when the sky had grown completely dark.

As soon as they arrived, they sat at the table and began compiling information gathered through their investigations. Their purpose here was ultimately to find traces of the devil or evidence to track it down.

Enoch was the first to speak up. With a serious face, he shook his head and said, “I think this case won’t be solved as easily as we thought.”

Everyone seated at the table turned their attention to him. This was because they all felt the same way during their investigations.

“It didn’t leave anything that could serve as evidence from the beginning. There wasn’t even a trace of magic being used.”

“Same for us,” David chimed in, supporting Enoch’s statement. He spoke in a way that conveyed the frustration he experienced throughout the half-day of questioning.

“There wasn’t a single thing that could serve as evidence. There were no markings, and everyone said the victims disappeared in the blink of an eye, only to return a few days later, abandoned. And this is already mentioned in the report from Katraju.”

“Right. We couldn’t find any information beyond what was in the report. But is it even possible to devour souls without leaving any traces like this? That’s what I find puzzling.”

Romei and her five friends nodded in agreement with Edward’s question.

That was currently the most suspicious aspect. They couldn’t understand how the deep bond between body and soul could be severed without using magic.

Devils had devised and implemented various methods to devour human souls until now, but none had been as cunning as this one.

“I’ve been bothered by that point too. But it doesn’t seem like there was any physical struggle. They said everyone looked fine on the outside. No injuries.”

“It was the same for us. No matter how we looked, there were no injuries. Not even a minor scratch. How could there be no injuries when lying n*ked in the deep forest?”

As Edward shook his head, speaking as if it was beyond his common sense to understand, Romei suddenly asked:

“Forest? They were found in the forest?”

Edward was slightly taken aback by Romei’s sudden interest in what he had said, but answered honestly.

“Yes. After searching the entire village, we checked the forest just in case, and that’s where they were found, seemingly abandoned…”

“…”

“Why do you ask so suddenly? Wait, could it be that you also…?”

Edward started to ask for the reason but seemed to guess it, pointing at Romei with his index finger in surprise.

Romei nodded calmly.

“They said they were found in the forest. Also without any special injuries.”

“Hey, wait a minute. Now that I think about it, weren’t all of ours found in the forest too? Right, Martin?”

Enoch asked, nudging Martin’s side with his elbow. Martin replied:

“That’s right. When we went, they all said the victims were found in the forest. I don’t know where they disappeared from, but they were found in the forest.”

“It seems the devil did something in the forest. What do you think, Aron?”

When Romei asked, Aron, who had been listening quietly, nodded silently in agreement.

“We should investigate the forest tomorrow. Even if we continue questioning people, we probably won’t find evidence beyond what’s in the report. It might be better to examine where the missing persons were found.”

“The forest must be extremely vast. Will we be able to find any traces?”

Martin murmured with a worried voice. There were only six of them, and the forest was too vast in comparison. Just imagining searching such a large area made him feel tired already.

“We can divide it into sections. Or since the chef is a local, we could ask about places people frequently visit and focus on those areas.”

“Oh, that’s a good approach.”

“As Aron said, we probably won’t get more information at this point. Since there’s no trace of magic on the victims’ bodies, it might be faster to examine the areas where the incidents occurred.”

“True. No matter how I think about it, it’s strange that all the missing people were found in the forest. We need to investigate it at least once.”

“But we still don’t know how they separated souls from bodies without using magic. Don’t you agree, Romei?”

Romei, who had been listening carefully to the conversation among the five men excluding herself, responded with a somewhat grave expression to the question directed at her.

“Indeed. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I can’t figure out the method no matter how much I consider it.”

Then she asked:

“What kind of shock could possibly separate the soul from the body?”

Though it wasn’t a suitable topic for pre-meal conversation, given their purpose here, and because it was Romei who asked the question, they each shared the cases they remembered.

“There’s torture, and I’ve heard about cases of mental manipulation.”

“Ah, using magic?”

“Yes. Using magic to continuously show the target hallucinations that would cause severe shock, making the person completely unusable.”

“Those devil bastards are truly cruel.”

In response to Edward’s words, Enoch shook his head from side to side, seemingly disgusted just from hearing about it. Then he shared the case he knew.

“What I know about is seduction? Something like love. You know, being completely enchanted by a devil and offering your body and mind. They use that to make strange contracts and then strip away and devour the soul.”

“That’s also too horrific.”

Now it was David’s turn.

“I know something similar to what Enoch and Edward mentioned. I heard they brainwash people. Or they give them absolute trust so they only listen to what the devil says, then lock them up somewhere, toy with them, and eat them when they die.”

“Right. I heard the same. They say the best way to weaken that connection is through love and pain.”

Martin added to David’s words.

The last one left was Aron. Everyone seated turned their gaze toward him.

Romei also waited to hear what answer would come from him. He was the most experienced among them and highly skilled. So perhaps he knew information that she didn’t.

Aron seemed to notice their gazes, looking around once before speaking.

“Pleasure.”

“Pleasure?”

“They say devils ruin a person’s mind with supreme pleasure beyond ecstasy. Making them unable to live without the pleasure the devil offers.”

“Pleasure is just pleasure. What’s supreme pleasure?”

Enoch objected, but Aron calmly retorted.

“If I knew that, would my soul still be here? I’d have become one with a devil.”

“That’s true.”

Martin nodded. Enoch, left with nothing to say, cleared his throat with a small “ahem” and closed his mouth.

Aron continued:

“I heard it’s a new method that’s been emerging lately. They either visit in dreams or pretend to be human, seduce the person, and have intimate relations multiple times. Then the target’s mind breaks from pleasure, and the devil gains both energy and soul—killing two birds with one stone.”

“The world is coming to an end. To think even pleasure can break the mind.”

Edward lamented deeply, seemingly amazed that such a trivial thing could weaken the connection between soul and body enough to separate them.

Romei, who had been listening carefully to their conversation, fell into deep thought for a moment. In her mind, the words they had spoken were floating around, listed as terms.

Love and pain.

Brainwashing.

Torture. Mental manipulation.

And pleasure.

Romei pondered seriously about which method could have stolen souls without leaving traces, but ultimately couldn’t find an answer.

* * *

The evil devil Barmas gazed at the holy knights who had come to Picardin through the eyes of a raven as black as a shadow.

From the moment he tested his new soul extraction method, he had thought the annoying Brodie would respond skillfully, but he hadn’t expected him to dispatch knights so quickly.

He was somewhat surprised, but he wasn’t afraid of being caught by them. Rather, he felt indifferent.

He was such an evil devil that even other devils trembled in fear at the mention of his name. Dealing with holy knights was bothersome, but there was absolutely no reason to fear such a ragtag bunch of weaklings.

‘It’s about time to leave this place. There are no more delicious-looking souls anyway.’

Thinking this, Barmas summoned his servant demon. Then, a figure in human form appeared in the empty room.

He bowed respectfully toward Barmas.

“You called for me, Lord Barmas.”

“Yes. Go to Picardin right now and…”

Just as he was about to order the destruction of all the secret traps set in the forest, a woman caught Barmas’s eye.

She was a woman he had never seen before, despite having nested in Picardin for quite some time.

This nameless woman with beautifully flowing golden hair tied into one, had blue eyes so clear they were dazzling to look at.

Her overall calm and neat features, without any unusual decorations, gave off an ascetic atmosphere in her modest appearance, which actually enhanced her beauty.

Barmas unconsciously licked his lips, belatedly noticing that the woman was wearing a familiar uniform. She seemed to be one of the holy knights visiting Picardin.

But whether she was a holy knight or not didn’t matter at all. What mattered was whether her soul stimulated his appetite. Nothing else was worthy of consideration.

“Lord Barmas…?”

The servant demon, who had been waiting silently for his orders for a long time, carefully called out to him, seemingly awakening Barmas from his thoughts.

Only then did Barmas realize that he had summoned the servant demon but stopped mid-order. He spoke:

“Cancel the order I just gave.”

Then he added. With such delicious-looking prey right before his eyes, he couldn’t just let it go.

“Hide the traps set in the forest even more secretly. Additionally, report to me without fail about the movements of the holy knights visiting Picardin. Understood?”

“Yes, understood.”

The servant demon bowed his head once more, then left like smoke. Barmas admired the woman with a satisfied smile.

‘I’ll just eat that one more and then leave Picardin.’