Suirak thought.
This battle had been over from the moment it began.
"You have my respect. You truly tried hard."
Dersia praised him with a perfectly fine smile, and the surrounding terrain was anything but ordinary. As if clawed by a great dragon, the ground had melted away and was burning. The surging flames burned the ink, emitting black, noxious vapor.
The bricks that were once part of a building had become a red, viscous liquid, eating away at the surroundings. What little snow and ice remained was turning to steam and fleeing from the world... He had never seen such a snowfield.
In other words, he had failed to cover it with his heart-realm. -It was a complete defeat. Dersia, who seemed to have expended little effort in creating this entire scene, and likely had, muttered in a languid voice.
"I was under a great misunderstanding. I know few heart-realm mages, so I failed to focus on your greatest weapon."
"Summoning a world to transfer the burden... an interesting approach. What would have happened to me if it had started to snow?"
"... At the end of the sensory confusion, you would have become a statue of ice, unable to think at all."
"How very interesting. It's a shame I couldn't experience it."
Madwoman.
Suirak bit his lip as he looked at Dersia, who wore a wicked smile that made it clear she truly meant it. He could not escape. Half of his face was already gone.
He wasn't dead because the severed surface had been cauterized by a severe burn, preventing any bleeding. The reason for this was that the dreadful elf had not permitted him to die. Suirak tried to resist.
"Even if you kill me, nothing will happen."
"Yes. Well, that's probably true. You're trying to say that you're not the main body, just a transformation of that 'mass', aren't you?"
As Suirak firmly shut his mouth, Dersia let out a scornful laugh and slowly walked over.
"However, a mass can certainly die. That much is unavoidable."
A pen was pressed into the forehead of Suirak, who was bound tightly by ink, unable to move. Flesh was pierced, and he felt something seeping into his skull. To be precise, it entered the brain of the mass that contained Suirak's body.
Suirak ground his teeth and made a threat.
"We too can kill the tree you elves worship as your mother at any time. It would be best not to make unnecessary enemies."
"I have been disowned, so feel free to kill it. Besides, it's literally just a big, old tree. I tore off its bark and examined it before I came here."
"... What?"
"It struggled for no good reason. Tsk."
Seeing Dersia click her tongue while making a statement an elf should never make, Suirak realized. - This elf was truly, completely insane. No, at the point she uttered those words, he couldn't even be sure if she was an elf. She could be something else wearing its skin.
As he wondered why on earth she hadn't fallen, Dersia brought up another topic.
"Let's have a more important conversation than that. What do you think this ink I've implanted in you is?"
"A curse."
"Yes. That mass will likely never be usable again. Soon, its suicidal impulses will be amplified dozens of times. It's real magic, something fake mages like you cannot use."
"... Curses are not magic."
"How astonishing. That the Elders who worship magic, and the orphans abandoned by magic, would spout the same words. Is this what they call 'extremes meet'?"
Of course, even a conversation was impossible. Suirak carefully grit his teeth and answered.
"What do you want?"
"If you want to save it, send over the magic books you stole. You can't use them anyway. Do that, and I'll let the mass live."
"How can I trust you?"
"There is also the option of not trusting me and letting it die."
The mass's ability to transform was necessary for their plans. Also, the magic books had already served their purpose by being stolen, so returning them wouldn't be a big problem. Nothing to lose.
Suirak had no choice but to nod. He was not permitted any other movement. Dersia added another condition, as if she had just remembered something.
"In addition, tell me that method as well."
"What method?"
"I'm not sure what you call it, but I'm talking about this ability... to overwrite the world."
"... Why would you want to learn something like that? You must hate us."
"Hmm..."
After a moment's thought, Dersia spun her pen once and replied.
"I might fall too, so I'm learning it just in case. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to achieve enlightenment. We simply exist."
Contrary to Suirak's expectations, Dersia furrowed her brow as soon as she heard his words.
"That's the worst. Is that what happens when you survive without dying?"
"... You-" His expression twisted.
He had noticed it from Dersia's tone. Suirak shot back in a voice as cold as ice.
"How much do you know?"
"Is that the final fate of those who survive to the very end? What a truly miserable curse. That's all I can see it as."
The world wants its master to die. But, if one performs the miracle of surviving in a world that wants them dead— It melts them down, digests them, and makes them a part of itself. A cruel, horrific thing.
Receiving a look mixed with pity from Dersia, Suirak glared fiercely at her.
"... Someone like you wouldn't understand in the slightest. Do you dare look at the moon in a teacup and claim to know the sky?"
"I can make an educated guess."
Dersia removed her pen and stepped back.
"Three days. Return the books to the Black Magic Tower within that time, in any way you can. If you don't want to lose that useful world."
"... The contract is formed."
"It was a good deal. I appreciate that we only said what was necessary." -Crack!
The ink burrowed into Suirak's heart, making his breath stop. Suirak stared at Dersia until the very end and muttered.
"Hiding your skills by staying reclusive, that was the luck that saved you today. Don't think there will be a second time."
"Was I the one who lost, perhaps? I can't for the life of me understand where that condescending confidence of yours comes from."
"The truth!"
His skin melted, and his bones cracked. Even as he melted away in a scene reminiscent of a corpse thrown into acid, he spat out the words in a flat, biting tone.
"Dersia Aspandil. I shall ask you a question you can never answer."
"Yes. Go ahead."
"This world you all call the physical-realm, whose heart-realm do you think it is?"
"?"
Suirak certainly did not lie. He had melted away before she could even answer.
"... Physically speaking, that is correct."
And Dersia didn't pay it much mind and moved on. A last dying word after getting thoroughly beaten. The aim was likely to plant a useless seed of doubt and induce madness.
No, even if that was the goal, it failed miserably. It was nonsense from the start. If someone was enforcing the laws of the world, that being could only be described as a god.
And, there are no gods in this world. It was a fact she had known since she peeled the bark off the tree and checked. For these reasons– Dersia cleanly forgot about it.
"I should probably go find Jern."
In the next moment, she had completely forgotten Suirak's words.
"What the..."
The top floor of the spire. I was checking on the unconscious Elysia when a slight headache made me clutch my head.
"Ugh..."
Withdrawal symptoms. . How did I overcome it? I tilted my head and looked around.
I could see that I had dragged myself to the front of the door, bleeding profusely. It seems I came this far while resisting the suicidal urges. I remember being swallowed by the Deep Sea at the end, but after that...
No, this isn't the time for that.
"Elysia, Elysia! Are you okay?"
"Umm..."
Fortunately, she was breathing. I let out a sigh and checked Elysia's condition. And then I clenched my teeth.
"These sons of bitches..."
It seemed some cunning, devilish bastards had tortured her while I was fighting Wihwa. Her whole body was covered in bruises as if beaten with a club. A bone seemed to be slightly broken, too.
Where could they even hit such a small body... I don't know who did it, but when I find them, I'll definitely make them take responsibility. But for now, taking care of her is the priority.
Just as I was about to lift her onto my back and stand up, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. The piece of wood I'd jammed into myself to regain consciousness was hurting. I spat out bloody saliva, got up, and went to the room where Aletus had been locked up.
"Lord Aletus, are you alright?"
Aletus was also unconscious. I quickly checked him over, but it seemed he was just struck on the back of the neck; there were no major injuries. I sighed in relief, carried him out of the room, and then—took out a key.
After sealing all the cracks in the room, I opened the doorknob, and there was the treatment room I had seen before.
My workshop.
It was worth getting it. First, I laid Elysia on the bed, applied medicine, and then wrapped her in bandages and a splint. Next was Aletus.
I laid him down in a proper position and, just in case, gave him a hemostatic. Lastly, I put a bandage in my mouth and— "...
Kk, ughhh..."
I slowly pulled out the piece of wood embedded in my thigh. This isn't something one can do while sane. With a hand trembling as if I had tremors, I roughly poured disinfectant on it and tied it with a bandage.
Pouring the disinfectant felt like spilling boiling water. After the emergency treatment was done, I tossed all the painkillers I had into my mouth. Overdose or not, I felt like I was about to die.
"Hoo..."
I was only barely able to get up after the medicine took effect. Before closing the workshop door, I checked one last time that Elysia and Aletus were okay, took the key, and went down the spire. I felt it several times while fighting Red Lotus— No matter how I think about it, the safest place is by Dersia's side.
As I forced myself down the stairs and opened the door, a strangely sweet scent wafted over, along with the sight of Dersia's languid, dark circles. I sniffed the air and asked.
"Did you put on perfume?"
"No. You're in better shape than I expected."
I wordlessly looked down at my leg, where blood was starting to seep through.
"You're fine, for the price of stupidity. Why did you fight head-on?"
"I thought you sent me there to fight, of course."
"Jern. It seems you've misunderstood something, so I'll make it clear this time."
As Dersia approached, shaking her head with a pathetic look, the scent grew stronger.
"You are not that strong. I acknowledge your talent for combat as a mage, but you are still too young."
"Compared to the organization called Red Lotus, you are but a speck of dust. I never thought someone as smart as you would choose a life-or-death struggle."
"I naturally assumed you would flee while looking for an opportunity, and skillfully extract the kidnapped personnel." '...
That is certainly true.' After thinking for a moment, I admitted my fault. Because no matter how I looked at it, her words were right.
The moment I saw Elysia, I should have taken her and fled, leaving Aletus's safety to fate. Without a doubt, Aletus would have wanted that too. However— "I was swept up in anger and made the wrong decision.
I have no excuse." I couldn't do it. It wasn't that I didn't. I couldn't. Dersia looked at me as I bowed my head and apologized, then sighed.
"... It's not something you need to apologize for. It was that nature of yours that drew me in, after all."
"You and I, Master, are in a contractual relationship. Your goal was to watch me die, so if I die alone, it would be a breach of contract. It is something to apologize for."
"Jern. You are not in your right mind."
"Neither are you, Master."
After a round of exchange, Dersia asked with a fed-up expression.
"So, did you rescue them?"
I held up the key, and Dersia nodded.
"What did you do with the opponent?"
"He was a fool lost in a world of dreams. He'd kidnap children and their parents, show them happy dreams, and after they woke up, he'd butcher the parents in front of them to make them fall."
"Hmm, I see... Perhaps I should be the one to apologize this time?"
"No matter how you dress it up, I was just a fool who fell for the enemy's tricks. Please don't." I went up the spire with Dersia and showed her Wihwa's smiling head.
Dersia grabbed it, then opened a workshop into a nearby room and tossed the body parts in one by one. Horrified at the sight of the library being stained, I asked.
"... Wait. Why are you keeping that?"
"It's the corpse of a heart-realm mage. In a situation where information is extremely scarce, it's an excellent teaching material. Conversely, I don't see any reason not to keep it."
"Ah, yes..."
"Let me ask you something too. How did you do it?"
Dersia looked at my wrecked body and me with an incredulous expression.
"This—this is not something you could have accomplished, Jern."
"It seems you used a method of cutting up a regenerating opponent so much that they couldn't regenerate... Just how did you do it?"
"It's a long story... Can we talk about it after we get back?"
"I don't see why not. But let's go to one last place."
"Where?"
"The basement of the spire. There's something there."
"Yes? The basement?"
"I discovered something while scanning the spire on my way in."
"In all the cities Red Lotus has occupied so far, there has always been a large empty space. Perhaps now we can confirm what it is."
It's true I hadn't used Tide Sense in the basement. I was already in an unstable state, so I hadn't bothered to use it. I followed Dersia, who lit a flame on her fingertip, down to the basement of the spire.
As expected of a basement, it was a damp space. When we opened a large door that seemed to be used for storage— The stench of corpses wafted out.
"... Ugh!"
I was horrified, barely suppressing the urge to vomit. It was like a huge swimming pool. However, a rotting smell, as if all the foul odors in the world had been condensed, emanated from within. ...
It couldn't have been long since they occupied this city.
"Stay here."
Dersia stopped me from entering and went in with a calm expression, then looked at the bottom of the pool.
"Hmm."
"Is it what I think it is?"
Dersia confirmed my uneasy question.
"Yes. There are many. About fifty of them, and all have shackles around their necks."
"Are they all nobles?"
"No. I've never seen these faces before. Hmm... It seems they've drowned the children, other natural bodies created by breeding kidnapped natural bodies with other natural bodies."
"... Ha."
"Are you angry?"
"To be honest, at this point, I'm more scared than angry."
What on earth is their goal to go this far? No, even if everyone in Red Lotus has the same way of thinking as Dersia, seeing humans as not human. And thus, feel no guilt in killing.
Still– they wouldn't do something like this without a reason, would they?
"Let's have a look.."
Dersia flicked her finger and scooped up a little of the water. Knowing what was in that water, I was slightly horrified and stepped back.
"You're not going to drink it, are you?"
"... From that question, I can see what a monstrous creature you think I am. Have I ever said or done anything wrong?"
There were too many instances, so I didn't bother to say. Dersia made a fire with a dumbfounded expression and boiled the water. The high-intensity fire evaporated the water in an instant.
But something remained in the air. Something in a solid form.
"I see..."
Dersia muttered as if she realized something, then turned to me and threw it on the floor.
"Jern."
"Yes?"
"It seems, Jern, that these bastards from Red Lotus want you."
The white crystals scattered on the floor—had the form of salt.