Chap 84-Disguise

 

“…Damn it!”

I gritted my teeth and placed my hand on Camilla’s chest.

Her skin was chilling.

The ominous aura of Contamination emanating from her heart showed no signs of weakening.

Instead, it was growing stronger, consuming her body.

“Why… why isn’t it working!”

I shouted in frustration.

In that moment of confrontation with Lina, the aura of Contamination had erupted from Camilla’s ring, engulfing her, and I had been forced to make an extreme choice.

Lina’s ‘the Power of Benevolent’.

A potent divine power that inflicted absolute agony upon evil.

To trigger the Masochist within me to its limit, allowing me to wield the Evil God’s power.

And to use that power to push back the Contamination that had invaded Camilla’s body.

But… even so, it was all in vain.

“Please… please, please!”

I placed my hand on Camilla’s heart once more, pouring my inner power into her.

The black, viscous Contamination that had burrowed deep within her heart did not react to my divine power in the slightest.

“…….”

Camilla’s condition was dire, as anyone could see.

Her white skin was already stained with black blotches, and her once vibrant red hair had become dry and brittle.

And even more horrifying, black, thorny roots were spreading out in all directions around the ground where she lay.

“…Gate.”

I muttered in despair.

From the start, that ring from the Medici Family wasn’t meant to target me.

Their real goal was…

Camilla, to make her the core of a gate.

To sacrifice her abundant Mana and her special qualities as a Librarian, to open a new gate to hell in the middle of this ‘Farm’.

‘Why would they go this far? Even so, to do this to their own daughter…’

In short…

There were soon to be two gates opening in this ‘Farm’.

One would open in the north, near the Ending Point, as in the original story…

But this new gate connected to Camilla…

I looked around with a sense of foreboding.

Probably in the very center of the ‘Farm’, where the academy students were most likely gathered.

It was the worst-case scenario.

The northern gate was already overwhelming, but now another hell was about to open in the center, where the most students were.

I had naturally assumed that I could heal Camilla by using the Evil God’s power as usual.

Because it had always worked before.

At least when I used this power.

It was the most hideous, filthy, and disgusting power imaginable…

But thanks to that power, I had been able to save countless people until now.

At least… I had never turned a blind eye to someone being consumed by Contamination and heading towards destruction.

But…

“……Why.”

No matter how much power I poured into her.

This desperate divine power that emanated from my fingertips.

Couldn’t push back even a single bit of the Contamination consuming Camilla’s body.

‘…Do I have to die again?’

Perhaps my current state was insufficient to purify this special Contamination afflicting Camilla.

But even as I hesitated, Camilla’s transformation into a gate was rapidly progressing in real time.

The black roots spreading around her were becoming thicker and more distinct.

“…Kuh!”

I finally made up my mind.

To push the Evil God’s power to its limit once more.

Something stirred deep within my body.

As if a massive black fireball was surging roughly from my stomach, through my esophagus, lungs, and heart.

A hot, viscous, nauseating energy swallowed me whole.

My insides slowly…

No, very slowly…

Began to melt.

My flesh softened and dissolved.

My organs flowed like mucus.

That feeling of something slippery flowing inside me.

That sensation, which should have been utterly repulsive…

Instead, spread through my entire body with a tingling sensation.

‘Haa…’

The hot, blood-tinged foreign substance rising up my esophagus.

And the intense pleasure that erupted from within it.

“Hiss… Heugh!”

The sensation of my organs melting felt like a blissful warmth filling my body, like warm honey.

I desperately suppressed the moans that threatened to escape, barely holding onto my sanity amidst this overwhelming pleasure.

And gathering all that power, I placed my hand on Camilla’s heart once more.

And.

Nothing happened.

Despite all my efforts, Camilla’s body was still chilling, and the Contamination did not stop.

“Cough…!”

Was it the price for using too much power?

Something hot surged up from within, and blood poured from my mouth.

My vision blurred, and the strength drained from my body.

“Heugh… Haiss…”

The backlash from using the Evil God’s power.

And the sensation of death slowly approaching as a result.

Even in that moment when my body was growing cold, my senses were fading, and the flame of life was flickering out,

My damned ability did not betray me until the very end.

The fear of death became a more intense and dizzying pleasure than ever before, consuming my soul.

In my fading consciousness, I gazed at Camilla’s unconscious face.

I’m sorry.

[SYSTEM]

Aegis Magic System – Decaymal Reverse Activated

Caster: Dorothy Lightshield (Disconnected)

Remaining Lives: 8

…

Thump- Thump-

When I opened my eyes again with the shock of resurrection, the first thing that greeted me was the sound of hell.

A massive footstep shaking the ground.

Kieeeek! Krreureureuk!

The horrifying roars of magical beast tearing at my ears.

From the gate that had opened from Camilla’s unconscious body, magical beast began to pour out like black liquid.

In the end… I couldn’t stop it.

The enormous number of magical beast that poured out completely ignored me as I lay collapsed and began to spread in all directions.

Their target was clear.

All the living things in this ‘Farm’.

The academy students.

‘They’re… ignoring me…?’

I stared blankly at the scene.

Only incomprehensible things were happening.

The magical beast had always lost their minds and rushed at me like crazy the moment I used even a little bit of the Evil God’s power.

To covet the power of the Evil God, or drawn to that power.

But now?

As if I were invisible, they were scattering in all directions without even glancing at me.

‘Is someone… directly controlling the magical beast?’

“……Damn it.”

Now was not the time to analyze the cause.

“Camilla…”

I looked down at her unconscious form.

Black roots were connecting her body to the ground.

Having become the core of the gate, she would paradoxically be safe for the time being.

The magical beast would never touch the core of the gate, which was their own entrance.

The problem was… the other students.

The plan to lure the magical beast with my power had to be completely abandoned now.

By now, all the academy faculty would have realized this emergency and would be rushing to save the students, but…

Could the students hold out until they arrived?

No, there was no need to think about it.

I already knew the answer.

In the end… I had to move myself.

“…Just hold on a little longer, Camilla.”

I muttered those words and took out the silver brooch that Master had given me from my pocket, fastening it to Camilla’s collar.

I couldn’t let anyone else see Camilla’s terrible appearance.

‘Once a being is Contamination, they can never be turned back.’

That was the cruel common knowledge known on Terra.

Even if I somehow managed to fix her later, the fact that she had been Contamination would be a permanent stigma on her for the rest of her life.

‘With this… at least I can hide the fact that Camilla has been Contamination from someone else.’

I had promised myself that I would save her no matter what.

Now that I had given the brooch to Camilla, I had to disguise myself as well.

I couldn’t go around saving students as ‘Yeon Bennet’.

But I didn’t have any other tools left to conceal my identity.

I picked up the dagger again.

And without hesitation, I brought that cold, sharp blade to my face.

So that no one would recognize me.

So that I wouldn’t be suspected in any way.

…

“Your Majesty! This energy… this is definitely…!”

Emilia cried out in alarm at the wave of evil magical power that was surging from the center of the ‘Farm’.

She trembled as she looked out the window at the sky, which was turning black and red.

“Yes. It’s a gate. It’s faster than Yeon expected.”

Anaide, in the form of a cat, growled lowly as she replied.

Her blue eyes were glowing with an eerie light.

“The Witches of Salem?! Contact them quickly with the crystal orb! What’s the status of the support request!”

Anaide ordered urgently.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Emilia immediately took out a crystal orb for communication from her pocket and focused her Mana.

She began to connect to the emergency contact network with Salem.

The crystal orb emitted a faint light, and soon the hurried face of a Witch with red hair and freckles appeared.

Explosions and screams could be faintly heard beyond the screen.

“Emilia! Right now…!”

“Ellie! What’s going on! Why isn’t support here yet?”

Emilia shouted.

“That’s not the problem, Emilia! Salem is! Our Salem is under attack!”

The Witch in the crystal orb cried out as if in despair.

“What…?”

Emilia doubted her ears for a moment.

Salem was under attack?

“It’s not just Salem! The entire front line is under attack by magical beast!”

With Ellie’s cry, the connection with the crystal orb shook erratically and was cut off.

Emilia was silent with a bewildered expression.

It was the worst-case scenario.

Not only was the most trusted reinforcements pinned down, but the possibility of any additional support had also been cut off.

“That’s enough.”

It was Anaide who broke the silence.

“Tell them to protect Salem first.”

“…Your Majesty?”

Emilia looked at Anaide with questioning eyes.

“Then… what about the young lady…”

“I’m going.”

Anaide replied briefly.

Emilia looked at Anaide with slightly disrespectful, suspicious eyes.

“…Are you sure you’ll be alright? Didn’t you say you can’t use your power properly?”

“That’s right.”

Anaide shrugged as she replied.

“I can’t use my power properly on Terra.”

Then she added with a slight smile.

“But… strangely enough, I have a feeling that I have to go myself now.”

At that illogical and reckless answer, Emilia glared at her with even more distrustful eyes.

“Is that… perhaps, like a ‘Transcender’s Sense’… or something?”

“It’s nothing that grand.”

Anaide shook her head as Emilia asked cautiously.

“Why, are you worried?”

Emilia lowered her head without a word.

Anaide, who was looking at her, laughed lightly.

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

Those words, which would have sounded playful under normal circumstances…

For some reason, they seemed strangely trustworthy today.

Leaving those words behind, Anaide jumped lightly off the desk and headed towards the door.

Just as she opened the door, Bella was standing in front of it with an anxious expression.

“Professor Emilia! The gate! In the center of the ‘Farm’…”

Bella cried out urgently.

Anaide glanced over at Bella and replied as if she was annoyed.

“You came at a good time. Follow me.”

Bella stared at Anaide with a bewildered expression…

A moment later, she muttered as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Did… did the cat just… talk…?”