He strode out of the Head Matron’s office. Smoke billowed out with him as his cloak billowed, along with the scent of charred flesh. A passing nurse stared, her eyes wide. She backed away. Her back hit the wall, and her knees gave out. She screamed.

Patients whirled. Other nurses came running. Remy lifted his hand. A red magical circle gathered around his wrist. Mana flowed through him, stronger than it ever had before. It burned in his palm, urging him to release it.

In his vision, the patients and nurses alike glimmered faintly red or green. The second the Head Matron died, his vision had changed. Inspect had clearly strengthened. He could see poisons within people, now, rather than only in objects. A useless skill in this scenario, but it gave him an idea nonetheless.

Remy laughed. He pointed across the span of the hallway, resting his eyes on everyone there for but a brief moment. “Come out, dream eaters. I see you!”

The patients stared at him. The nurses kept rushing toward him—except for one, who dug her heels in and whirled about.

“Lloyd!” Remy shouted.

“Of course.”

A blur sped past him. There was a heavy smack as Lloyd slammed the nurse into the wall. Remy approached at a jog. When the nurses saw who he was, they hesitated. Just as I expected. He lifted his hand. Red light glimmered around his wrist, and fire flickered in his palm. “You’re going to point out who all the other dream eaters are, or you’re going to die.”

The nurse struggled. She shook her head. Her eyes widened.

An evil grin crawled over his face. Quietly, he added, “I know you can feel every ounce of pain your host body does. I don’t have to make this quick.”

The nurse wrenched free of Lloyd’s grip. “I’ll show you, I’ll show you!” she promised.

Remy raised his brows. He stepped back and gestured for Lloyd to release her.

The nurse’s eyes turned black. Miasma curled around her. She lunged at Remy. “Die, you foul—”

Remy blasted her with fire. This time, the spell lasted for longer than a split second, and the wave of fire washed over the woman and the ghost that escaped her alike. The dark shape of the ghost thrashed in the flames, bright and visible for all to see. The nurses jumped back, shocked. The patients screamed. Some directly fled.  

He smiled. He needed everyone to see the dream eaters. That took his actions from ‘madness’ to ‘justified monster-slaying.’ Now, he could act freely as he wished.

Remy looked at his hand and raised his brows. My magic has grown far stronger, just by adding those points. I wonder how far I can push it? How strong can I get, just by adding points to my magic?

But then, I can’t write off skills, either. Inspect has been useful. I should check with Lloyd before I go all-in on magic.

He nodded at Lloyd. “Grab anyone who looks suspicious.”

Lloyd touched his fingers to his forehead in a jaunty approximation of a salute and sprinted down the hallway.

Lifting his head, Remy made eye contact with the nurses. With an earnest, somewhat pained expression, he declared, “Sisters, please help me! This Sanctuary is overrun by dream eaters. The Head Matron almost killed me when she leaped out of her skin. I’m fortunate to be a quick mage, or I would have died! You—” He pointed at a slender, cleanly dressed nurse, “—call the adventurers.”

The nurse nodded. She ran off, fleeing the scene. Remy watched her go for just a beat. Her clothes were smooth, her behavior was all human. I could be wrong, but I didn’t get the feeling that she was a dream eater.

If the adventurers don’t come, I’ll know who to go after.

He scanned the rest of the crowd and gave them a soft smile. “All the rest! Is there anyone who’s been acting strange lately? Anyone whose behavior is slightly off, or whose manner of dress is more rumpled than usual? Speak now! It’s better to have more suspects than fewer. I can detect dream eaters, so as long as you bring them to me, I can discern innocent from guilty!”

The nurse who’d guided him earlier stepped forward. She put her hand on her chest. “Nurse Andrea was—”

Remy snapped his fingers. A gem of fire burst from his fingertips and struck that nurse. Fire consumed her body. She stared at him, startled, then lunged at him. He backed away, snapping his fingers again. The fire grew stronger. Her limbs blackened, and her body crackled.

“Show yourself,” he demanded cooly.

A black ghost finally burst out of the nurse’s burning body. The flames instantly caught onto the ghost. It flew toward Remy at top speed, but the fire consumed it too quickly. “H-how…?”

“I told you. I can detect dream eaters.” Remy swept his eyes over the nurses before him. “Just because I haven’t called you out, doesn’t mean I can’t. But if you wish to identify other dream eaters… I might yet spare your life.”

Internally, he let out a breath of relief. That nurse’s behavior was strange around the comatose patients, but he hadn’t been a hundred percent sure she was a dream eater. Her body scanned as green under Inspect, but then, Inspect only detects toxins. He quietly deleted his alternative speech about being willing to kill anyone suspicious, as long as it took out the dream eaters. I would’ve been relying on nothing but my status as prince at that point. And as much as Father wouldn’t have cared that I killed a random nurse, the Goddess’ Church could’ve kicked up enough of a fuss to make it a real problem for me. I would have had to work hard to rebuild my political clout and favor if I’d guessed wrong there.

“Spare their life?” A nurse’s nose wrinkled in disgust.

“They will be escorted out of the country and be forced to accept a curse that compels them to never re-enter the country or eat another citizen ever again,” Remy ad-libbed smoothly. As if such a convenient curse exists.

But then again, I don’t intend to let any dream eaters go in the first place.

Another one of the nurses started to step forward, then quickly backed away. She raised her hand. “Um, Nurse Danner always knew all our names, but last week, she forgot all of them.”

“Thank you. You come with me.” Remy gestured her to his side. “Anyone else?”

The nurses looked around, exchanging glances with one another. They shook their heads. “Just Nurse Danner,” a different nurse confirmed.

Remy nodded. “Stay here. Keep the patients confined. Look around for anyone else with odd behavior and dress, and if you recall anything, come straight to me. Most importantly, don’t let anyone go off one-on-one with anyone else. At least three people in the room, no matter what. Even if it’s using the toilet.”

The nurses nodded. No one protested.

Right. They are nurses. Remy nodded. He headed after Lloyd, trailing the nurse. The other nurses split off. As other nurses ran toward the hubbub, the first nurses explained the situation. All the nurses moved with precision, a well-oiled machine.

He looked over his shoulder, watching them for a few steps. The current Sanctuary was so different from the Sanctuary in his memories. The Sanctuary he remembered was run-down and filthy, the nurses laconic and unresponsive at best. He licked his lips. Even if something isn’t necessary for the kingdom’s survival until later, that doesn’t mean I can neglect it now. After all, if I neglected this Sanctuary, it would have grown filthier, worse-run, and deeper infested with dream eaters until it became almost non-functional. If I waited to fix the Sanctuary until right before I needed it, it would already be too late.

I have to be proactive, if at all possible. Based on the issues I know are coming my way, I need to ensure the institutions I need are functional as soon as possible.

Mmm, but I can’t neglect the nobles, either. No… I think I’m going to address one of the worst problem nobles next, no matter what. But I can’t forget this lesson I’ve learned today, either.

Lloyd held a nurse up against the wall, easily pinning her with one hand. Beside Remy, the other nurse gasped. “That’s Nurse Danner!”

“I appreciate your honesty. If there anyone else you know of, who was recently acting suspicious?” Remy asked.

The nurse hesitated. Her eyes flicked back and forth. “Um…”

Pinned against the wall, Nurse Danner’s eyes widened. She struggled harder, her face contorting. She jabbed her finger at the other nurse.

Remy patted the other nurse on the shoulder. He smiled at Nurse Danner. “Oh, I already know.”

Fire flashed. The dream eater desperately lunged, but it was too late. It went down in a blast of flame, screaming all the way.

“So, good friend… any other fellow dream eaters you want to rat out, while we’re here?” Remy asked, turning to the nurse beside him. It was a bit suspicious how she’d been so sure about Nurse Danner, but the killing blow had been Danner’s own reaction.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. Her eyes turned aside, and she pulled her arms in close.

“I said I’d let you go if you ratted out your friends. I’m a man of my word,” Remy said. He gestured at the smoldering ruin on the ground. “But that’s just one friend. I said friends.”

The nurse stiffened. She turned her eyes toward him.

“Or you can attack,” Remy offered, calling the magic circle forth again. This time, he struggled to form the familiar spell. Hmm. At around ten points, this is my limit. I’ll need to sink more points into magic if I’m going to keep up this purge.

Hopefully the adventurers get here soon, and I can hand this responsibility off to them. He didn’t need to kill all the dream eaters personally. It gave him more points, but…

He looked at Lloyd. “What happens if the adventurers arrive?”

“Hmm? They take the hard work off your hands?” Lloyd said flippantly.

Remy lowered his chin just an inch to give Lloyd a piercing look.

Inspect your titles, Prince.

Another look.

…The title Royal allows you to gain points from others’ kills, as long as you directly order the action. The other person, or persons, must be a legal citizen(s) of your country who recognizes your authority.

 “That’s quite a bonus,” he mused aloud.

The Demon God picked you as his Champion for a reason. Your birthright titles provide an immense advantage. But even so… in these confrontations…

“Good triumphs over evil.” Even with his overpowered titles, the Goddess’ Champion would be a foe beyond his reckoning. No—a foe for whom fate was weighted to their advantage. He could never dismiss the Goddess’ Champion. Never.  

Pressing his lips together in dissatisfaction, Remy lifted his hand toward the nurse.

The nurse flinched back. She threw her hands up. “Wait! Wait. Come with me. I’ll show you! There’s—there’s a bolt hole. A hiding spot, for in case the adventurers bring their Detectors. The others should be there. Right this way!”

Remy retracted his hand and beamed at her. “Please, show the way.”

She bobbed, then started walking again. Lloyd followed close behind her. Remy trailed at the rear. His cape hung from his shoulders, and he crossed his arms beneath it. The three of them swept through the Sanctuary. The nurses and patients backed away from them, themselves grouped in patches of threes.

Remy stretched his legs out, so his gait sounded the same pace, but he caught up to the nurse. He whispered in her ear, “If you don’t point out every dream eater we pass, I will execute you.”

The nurse’s spine stiffened. She sped up.

Lloyd chuckled darkly. He nodded at Remy in approval.

Remy ignored him. I don’t want a demon’s approval. I’m willing to do what it takes, no matter what, but I’m not trying to be an ‘evil overlord,’ or whatever he wants.

The rebellion flashed before his eyes again. The heads rolling in the streets. Blood pooling in the cobbles. Compared to that, he was downright angelic. He only killed dream eaters. And he didn’t kill ‘anyone who ever might have maybe been near a dream eater,’ or whatever the rebels were using as justification for their executions by the end.

Principled. Deliberate. Justified.

The nurse pointed at a small door at the end of the hallway. The flimsy, decrepit old thing listed in its frame, held up by a single hinge. She leaned in to Remy and explained at a whisper, “This closet has a false back. Beware. They likely know we’re coming and are waiting in ambush.”

He nodded at Lloyd. “If you would?”

Lloyd touched two fingers to his forehead, then braced his shoulder and charged the closet. The first door went flying, carried with Lloyd. Brooms and buckets burst out. Lloyd smashed into the false back and directly out into the other side, revealing a dark space.

A dozen pairs of eyes blinked up at them. Nurses. Patients. All of them huddled up together. All of them staring at Lloyd and Remy.

“A nest. How convenient,” Remy murmured. He stepped forward and lifted his hand.

Lloyd ducked out of the way. The dream eaters charged the door. One or two bolted into the walls.

“Lloyd! Catch them!” Remy snapped, pointing after the fleeing dream eaters. A blast of fire rushed from his hand, incinerating the dream eaters who charged him. Charred corpses hit the floor.

Lloyd vanished into the wall to the right. Remy turned to the left. A dream eater stared at him, eyes wide. It turned and fled. Throwing his hand out, Remy roasted it like the rest. The black ghost escaped its burning body, only to wisp away in the flames.

“As ordered,” Lloyd said from behind him.

Remy turned. A thrashing dream eater dangled from each of Lloyd’s burly arms. At the sight of him, both of the dream eaters opened their moths. The dark ghosts rushed out and charged Remy.

Cursing, Remy stumbled back. He threw up his hand, releasing the last blast of fire left inside of him. The ghosts burned up, and he fell back against the wall, panting.

“Oh? Apologies,” Lloyd said.

Remy glared at him. “What the hell? Are we not on the same side?”

I’ve always interpreted orders literally. If you want me to act, be explicit.

Remy wiped his face down, exhausted. This is what I get from being the demons’ Champion, huh? I bet the angels don’t treat their Champion like this.

Loud shouting came from the front door. Remy looked up, staring over his shoulder, then nodded at Lloyd. “The adventurers are here. Let’s greet them.”

“Er, what about me?” the dream eater nurse asked, pointing at herself.

Remy glanced at her. “Come with us.”

“To the adventurers?” she asked, her voice squeaking.

“Or die here,” Remy said.

“Coming!” she said, hurrying after the two men.