Thio came from a lineage that dealt with demons.
Before, there was an orderly system and there were many important roles with different jobs such as hunting demons, dealing with authorities, retrieval, monitoring and so on. Everything was handled carefully and attentively, with almost no fault.
Yet, no one was ready for that large-scale attack. Blood drenched the place and body parts scattered… Everyone was wiped out. Everyone except him.
He was alone, but he had to continue. Now, he could only hunt for demons.
Getting rid of the bodies was a hassle, since there would be
eyewitnesses and so forth. It wasn’t easy to move a body and hide it or remove it with him alone in the first place.
He could only move from town to town, and they were never close. It was best if they did not spread rumours with each other.
Through the years, he felt his strength waning. He accepted it calmly, though a little frustrated. He was only human, and humans would eventually age.
When a demon takes another person’s body, not a single trace would be left behind. Only that slight dark energy could be the sole sign. Demons were hard to identify and had to be caught red-handed in order to confirm their suspicions.
And that used to be the watchers’ job.
Therefore, he could only eliminate the demon after possessing the body of the one they killed in the act.
But it was only this time.
She was just a little girl. His tiniest bit of conscience wouldn’t allow himself to let her die like this.
Perhaps they were fated to meet each other. They met again at a bookstore.
After the day they introduced themselves, they began to meet up. Every time, he would impart some of his knowledge to Grissle. It wasn’t long till he started formally teaching her his ways.
Thio was very, very glad to have met Grissle. She was a bright child and learned quickly. It was yet another stroke of luck that she loved wordy books more than picture books.
It didn’t take too long for her to learn most of what she needed to know.
With his way of doing things, the matter couldn’t be hidden for long.
The bureau started to get impatient. The people were yelling for justice while fearing for their lives, afraid that the next would be them.
Thio was already aware. He stood up from his desk and simply sighed at the people outside. He couldn’t continue his way of doing things. Information spread too quickly.
That’s why, he gave Grissle a treasured object that was very important, especially for her who would take after him. A precious weapon. Something that he used often.
It was given by a strong and powerful demon. They wanted to rid of the weaker demons who went around hunting for souls as they were a stain to their pride.
Before, whenever he smiled, there was an odd feeling that it was a little forced but nonetheless sincere.
However, she clearly remembered. When he gave her this weapon, his smile no longer felt forced but carried a little hint of sadness.
Looking back, perhaps….
Perhaps Grissle already understood what he meant.
‘He’s leaving.’
Sure enough, he never came back after that.
The bureau could no longer keep their calm, being pressured by the countless pleas of the people. So they kept searching for the murderer, spreading manpower everywhere at all times to keep a lookout on any suspicious people.
After flipping all over the place, they still couldn’t find the murderer.
For the sake of maintaining their pride and pacifying the general public, innocent people were framed.
And yet, no matter how many people they caught and detained, the murders didn’t stop.
It was probably time for him to confess.
Too many were harmed.
‘Even if I’m not here, she’ll take after me. My brilliant student.’
A smile crept up his old and worn face. He taught Grissle well, and she learnt well.
She was also an aristocrat.
She was bright and her resources were abundant. Surely, she could’ve done a much better job than him.
Without regrets, he handed himself to the bureau for questioning.
Then, he was brought to prison and was detained. They waited and waited for the next murder case.
Alas, there was none.
After the confirmation, newspapers published news that the real murderer was caught. Rumours spread like a wildfire.
A few weeks later, his death sentence was announced.
Death by public execution.