I scrutinized the detained spies, examining every detail with meticulous care. I also performed a thorough inspection from a magical standpoint. After an extensive period of scrutiny, I stroked my chin.
(I see no signs of magical interference...)
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the spies themselves. If I had to name one anomaly, it would be the disturbance in their Magic Power, but that was merely a side effect of the Magic Tools used to restrain them. It was not a problem inherent to the men.
And yet, some abnormality had to exist. Luciana wouldn't have summoned me if it were a trivial matter. In truth, her Charm hadn't even worked on them. For an ordinary person to resist her mental influence with pure willpower was virtually impossible. While there were rare cases of individuals being immune due to compatibility issues, that would account for one or two people at most. For twenty individuals to be simultaneously unaffected was unheard of.
There was undoubtedly a hidden cause.
(Could they be under the influence of a spell even I cannot perceive?)
The possibility was low, but I couldn't dismiss it entirely. Magic was a field of constant advancement. A single spark of inspiration could cause a spell’s effectiveness to leap forward. It wasn’t uncommon for an undervalued school of magic to suddenly overturn its reputation. Therefore, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that a spell capable of deceiving my eyes had been developed.
The nations of the world were constantly preoccupied with Anti-Demon King Measures. Since the incident with the Demigod, there had been no notable occurrences, and the days had been peaceful on the surface. Now, however, dark clouds were beginning to gather over that tranquility.
I turned to Luciana. "Has their affiliation been identified?"
"It’s a bit vague," she replied with a sigh. "I have a general idea, but since they’re in this state, I can’t get any confirmation."
It was a predictable hurdle. The Demon King's Domain was constantly targeted by intelligence agents from various nations. Recently, there had even been reports of spies arriving from Outside the Continent. There were simply too many potential enemies to narrow the list down.
While we spoke, the spies remained in a state of intense agitation. Beads of sweat drenched their skin, and saliva pooled at the corners of their mouths. Every single one of them was gripped by a shared, primal terror.
(...This is an eerie sight.)
Spies capable of infiltrating the Center of the Demon King's Domain should have possessed nerves of steel. They were professionals trained to withstand pressure; seeing them reduced to such a persistent state of fear felt profoundly wrong. Even if their terror stemmed from me, this was far too exaggerated. These were people who operated with the understanding that they might be caught and detained. One could not survive as a spy without being prepared for such outcomes.
Taking those circumstances into account, this was undeniably strange. It was as if they were terrified of something else entirely.
"...Hmm."
I stepped in front of one of the spies and slowly removed his blindfold. I also pulled out the gag that had been inserted to prevent suicide.
The man’s face was a mess of sweat and tears. He stared into the void, his half-open mouth leaking faint, hollow groans. I gripped the man’s chin, forcing him to meet my gaze.
"Look at me."
"Ah, aaaaaah...!"
The man shrieked, thrashing his head in resistance. He began to struggle violently, his restrained limbs rattling against his bonds.
"Quiet. I will not harm you."
"No—no, no, no, no, no, no!"
The man repeated the word with singular focus. Blood began to trickle from his nose. Whether it was from over-excitement or the effect of some hidden spell, I couldn't be sure. Even as I attempted to analyze him, I could find no magical abnormalities.
"I did it... it wasn't supposed to be like this... if only I had refused then... damn it, I don't want to die..."
"Take a deep breath. Listen to what I am saying."
"Uuu, uuuuuuugh...!"
The man continued to emit strange cries, his speech devolving into incoherence. The only things that came through clearly were his intense regret and sheer terror. Meaningful conversation was impossible.
"Calm down."
I grabbed the man by the hair and forced his head up with raw strength. He suddenly vomited a large amount of blood; it seemed he had bitten through his own tongue. I used magic to heal the wound instantly. The man coughed, spitting out the remaining blood. At the very least, I had prevented his suicide for now.
I focused on the man's eyes. His dazed gaze still refused to focus on me. His blue irises were trembling, and his pupils were constricted to tiny points.
"Hm?"
That was when I felt it—a sudden sense of incongruity. Deep within the man's pupils, I thought I saw something wriggle. It wasn't a physical reaction to his agitation. Something was clearly moving in there.
My interest piqued, I stared into his eyes with absolute focus. And then, I realized a chilling truth.
I wasn't the one peering in. Rather, it was as if something were peering back at me from within—
"............!"
The next moment, I moved reflexively. Bathed in Miasma, the man’s flesh rotted away as he instantly transformed into a Ghoul. He no longer screamed, becoming a hollow shell that merely hung its head. His eyeballs dissolved into black viscous fluid and leaked from his eye sockets.
"Demon King-sama? Are you all right...?"
Luciana’s voice came from behind me. When I turned, her face was etched with worry.
(What was that just now...?)
I looked down at the spy I had turned into a Ghoul. It hadn't been a spell set by the man himself. He hadn't been acting; his terror was genuine. He hadn't been in any mental state to activate a spell. Furthermore, his Magic Power had remained in a state of chaos until the very end. Even if a third party had attempted to launch an attack through his body, the attempt should have failed.
And yet, I had undoubtedly been subjected to some form of interference. It was an ability fundamentally different from any existing magic I knew. It was an incomprehensible sensation—an invasive anxiety that felt as if it could overturn my mind from its very roots.
If a mere human were subjected to that pressure constantly, it was no wonder the spies had lost their sanity. If I were not an immortal, my heart surely would have been pounding on the verge of bursting.
I used Forbidden Magic to strictly isolate the remaining spies, taking care not to look directly into their eyes. Moments later, they were encased in multiple layers of Colored Barriers—defenses so robust that even Offensive-specialized Great Magic could not shatter them.
Having completed the spell, I gave Luciana my orders.
"I will take custody of these individuals. You are to continue processing the other spies."
"What about you, Demon King-sama?"
"I am going to solve this problem. It is a matter of extreme urgency."
Leaving her with only that answer, I teleported away, taking the spies with me.