episode_0047

Soon after a secret network of devil worshippers was discovered thanks to the .

I heard all sorts of strange news from the Vanderbühne tent.

A commendation and prize money that Phantom and the captain received together for their contribution to the subjugation.

I came here to celebrate this, but I heard a story I never expected.

A subordinate organization that is strangely reminiscent of the original SCP Foundation on Earth, soon to be established under the Inquisition.

The names of the members who will be working there are, so… …

“Is it Lovecraftian?”

“That’s right! Everyone calls themselves that!”

“Ha.”

“I heard that you follow the will of the hermit Lovecraft! Thanks to Lovecraft’s warning, you prevented a fire that could have spread greatly!

I just slapped my forehead at Captain Fluffy’s words.

‘Not another name, but Lovecraftian?’

It’s not like it’s a word that can’t be used in a worldview where linguistic similarities exist, but it was still quite funny.

The original ‘Lovecraftian’ was a nickname referring to a fandom that explored and recreated the author’s works.

But here, it becomes a nickname for those who study the mysteries of the world under the influence of the .

Should I say that it’s a naming sense that doesn’t quite fit, but on the other hand, it strangely fits?

“Ta-da! And I got this too!”

Looking at me in absurdity, Captain Fluffy proudly showed off a small document he had taken out of his bosom.

“ Honorary membership to the Foundation! You’ll also receive a teleportation ticket, and you’ll be asked to visit periodically to perform the Cthulhu Mythos!”

“Oh? Congratulations on your membership, Captain. Now you are a proud citizen of the Empire who cannot be ignored wherever you go.”

“Hehehe, it’s all thanks to Phantom! I heard that the original author will also receive the same! Just wait and it will arrive soon!”

“Huh? To me too?”

There’s no particular need. What would I do by getting involved with a place like the SCP Foundation?

However, on the contrary, for the Vanderbühne troupe, it was truly a stroke of luck.

Even if it is an honorary position, membership is still membership.

Who would carelessly ignore a troupe that not only received imperial commendations but also received the seal of the Inquisition?

From now on, wherever they go, the Vanderbühne troupe will be able to walk proudly with their heads held high.

“But the Foundation asked you to perform the Cthulhu Mythos? And regularly?”

“That’s right! Oh! Are you worried about future profit distribution?”

In response to my question, Captain Fluffy twitched his rabbit ears and said:

“Don’t worry! The dividends from the performance will continue to be mailed to you! Isn’t the real master of the Cthulhu Mythos the Phantom?”

“No, I’m just curious. Why would Foundation agents want to see the Cthulhu Mythos? There doesn’t seem to be any reason for them to see it.”

“They say it’s to boost the spirit of the temple members! The Lovecraft Foundation is a fighter who will have to face demonic phenomena in the future! If they don’t train in advance, it might be difficult!”

… … So is this some kind of practical training? In preparation for actually encountering the beings of hell?

As expected, the home of cosmic horror, . One thing is certain: it’s effective.

Not only did it cause mass hysteria, it was also used as a training aid.

Let’s see. If this is the case, don’t you think we need some upgrades?

“Shall I draw you another rough sketch of the devil? It would be boring if I just showed you the same Great Old One every time.”

If you just want the Fluffy Captain, I can show you the drawings of the Outer Gods that didn’t appear in the original.

The terrifying foreign gods such as Shub-Niggurath, Azathoth, and Yog-Sothoth were adapted into demonic beings to fit the otherworldly mindset.

“… … No! It’s okay!”

But surprisingly, Captain Fluffy just nods excitedly.

She spoke confidently, stroking the purple crystal on her staff.

“We are a traveling troupe! We can’t rely on the capital’s permanent resident Phantom forever! We will design additional dolls ourselves!”

“Without my help? Are you okay?”

“Hoohoo, you shouldn’t underestimate them! Grotesque puppet shows were Vanderbühne’s specialty even before they collaborated with Phantom!”

Whirlyrick!

She declared, twirling her cane like a circus performer.

“There’s also Morgan, the apprentice witch, and many members who are skilled in this field! The future Cthulhu Mythos will be completed by Vanderbühne on their own!”

“Okay, I understand. I will continue to support the activities of the Vandebuhne Theater Company.”

“Hehehe, we are all the same! Vanderbühne also supports Phantom’s creative activities!”

If you think about it, the original work wasn’t purely Lovecraft’s work.

Howard Lovecraft had absolutely no interest in copyrighting the ‘settings’ he created.

So much so that he even gave permission for his fandom to take it and use it as they pleased.

August Dulles, Lord Dunsany, Algernon Blackwood, Gillia Bishop, etc.

Isn’t the shared worldview that countless secondary creators have come together to create the result we know?

‘This is their own Cthulhu Mythos, completed by the Vanderbühne troupe members themselves, out of the hands of the original creator.’

Perhaps this could be the most otherworldly ending to the ?

He muttered to himself and smiled faintly.

The doctor died at the hands of the swordsman Kyle while carrying out an extremely evil experiment.

Over the course of several days, a thorough search was carried out on his residence, but surprisingly, no significant results were found.

Of course, we haven’t been able to find a clue to reveal the identity of the dead man called ‘Doctor’.

Even he could not know exactly why he was forcing himself into such an inhumane experiment.

“You destroyed key research data before you died?”

“Yes. All that’s left are just random documents that seem important on the surface. It seems like they sensed the tracking and took action in advance.”

“… … ”

Lord Wenford, the Minister of War, was listening to the report of the young swordsman, Kyle, and he just stroked his red beard without saying a word.

You figure out that the tail is caught and you just destroy the data all at once so that it doesn’t bother you in the future?

At first glance, this seems like a fairly plausible logic.

But Wenford, the capable minister, instinctively sensed something fishy.

“I don’t understand. If that’s the case, why didn’t you run away and leave the place? Didn’t you say you stayed in the lab and lingered until the moment you died?”

“That’s… … ”

“No, the premise is strange from the start. If you destroyed the research data in order to escape quickly, why did you go through the trouble of selecting only the important types and discarding them? Wouldn’t it have been a more efficient option to burn down the lab and disappear?”

“That is certainly true, but given the results of the investigation… …I also wonder why the doctor acted so suspiciously, Your Majesty.”

“… … ”

weird.

I can’t pinpoint it, but it definitely doesn’t fit.

My intuition kept sending me ominous whispers.

Isn’t it too sloppy to say that he tried to run away, and too planned to say that he didn’t know he was being tracked?

It was just then.

Bam!

“, Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We’re in trouble!”

The door to the Secretary of the Army’s office opened wide without a knock. Then the Deputy Secretary of the Army rushed in with a pale face.

The vice minister, who was taking a moment to catch his breath, delivered completely unexpected news.

“Boo, we’ve received a call from the Alchemist’s Association who were in charge of the autopsy! The Doctor’s body we found is a fake!”

“What, what did you say?!”

“Did you just say fake?”

“They say that all they did was put a lab coat and glasses on a chimera made with alchemy! The level of completion was almost like an actual human, so even the autopsy doctors almost didn’t notice it… … !”

“This, this!”

Wenford frowned and rubbed his aching temples.

He was the one who keenly felt the meaning of the proverb, “cut off your nose with your eyes open.”

Now I realize why only some of the lab’s data was destroyed.

‘Was it a smokescreen to cover up my own death?’

How about creating a natural environment in which to present the Chimera as a scapegoat for illusions, but not showing any material that could expose your own purpose?

The real Doctor must have escaped leisurely during the gap created. It would take a long time for the Imperial government to realize that the body was fake.

If that were true, then only one question remained.

“Then where on earth did the real doctor disappear to?”

“Well, well, I don’t know about that either… … ”

“Ahem.”

The swordsman and the deputy minister of the army are unable to give a definitive answer to their superior’s question.

Looking at them, the Imperial Army Minister can only cover his forehead with a feeling of frustration.

It was just then.

An epiphany crossed Lord Wenford’s mind.

“The lab where they killed the fake doctor and the chimeras. Didn’t you say you rescued the only survivor there?”

“Yes? Yes. She was a young woman who looked to be in her early to mid twenties.”

“So where exactly was that woman sent? Is she still under government protection?”

“No, I just did a quick investigation and sent her back. But why did she suddenly… … Ah!”

Kyle, the swordsman, finally noticed his superior’s intentions.

Sir Wenford bites his lip as he watches the young man’s expression suddenly distort.

Then he gave an order in a stern voice.

“Find the survivors in question. Find them and bring them here immediately. Quickly.”

Step by step!

A carriage rocking up and down along a forest path.

They are busy moving towards their destination under the escort of heavily armed soldiers.

And inside, a lively conversation was going on between two passengers.

“You will soon reach the Eastern Gate, Derby Young-ae. Once you pass the gate, you can go to your hometown, the Eastern Territory.”

“Thank you, sir. Thanks to you, I was able to come comfortably. I will never forget this favor.”

“Ahem, no. I was just doing what I had to do.”

Derby, a beautiful woman who only smiles refreshingly at the knight’s humility.

According to her own account, she was a young lady from a Korean-American family in the eastern frontier.

It seems that she went on a trip to cool her head before her wedding with her fiancé, but met with misfortune.

So, I was on my way to the East, provided with a carriage so that I could return home as soon as possible.

‘Definitely. Just looking at the hair, it looks like an Easterner.’

Compared to the real Earth, hair colors in this world are distributed in a variety of natural colors.

Simply put, isn’t Derby’s lime green hair also a common physical feature in the eastern border?

I don’t know how a woman from the East ended up here and got kidnapped, but it wasn’t a big deal anyway.

A brief investigation was conducted before releasing her. Nothing particularly suspicious was revealed during the process.

Less noise!

Just then, the carriage finally stopped at its destination.

This is a quiet, secluded path that will take you just a little further to the Eastern Gate.

From this point on, Derby begged to go back alone, so we had no choice but to accommodate him.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Derby Young-ae? Even though it’s not that far, it can be dangerous for a woman to be alone.”

“Haha, thank you. But don’t worry about it. Even though I was unlucky last time, I know how to take care of myself.”

“Haha. Is that so? That’s fortunate. I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.”

As she walked along the road, her light green ponytail fluttering in the wind.

Bam!

“Huh? Derby Youngae! You dropped something!”

A small item fell out of my clothes pocket.

The knight, who thought it was probably a wallet or some kind of trinket, quickly ran over and picked it up.

And then Binggle. Just as he was about to return the problematic ‘possession’ to Derby, who was turning towards him.

“… … Huh?!”

The knight’s face suddenly turned ashen as he realized the identity.

The item that Derby accidentally dropped was none other than a very old badge.

Just looking at its unique shiny material and brilliant color, you can tell that it is by no means an ordinary medal.

But what is truly amazing are the two lines of text engraved on its surface.

The truth will set you free.

The Alchemist’s Warrior, Asenas Van Soch-Sieh

A fierce war of subjugation between the followers of the devil took place a century ago.

It was the traitorous warrior who suddenly fell from grace and struck the back of humanity’s head.

“Uh, why is Derby Youngae like this… …?”

A knight whose mind stopped in a completely unexpected situation.

It was the moment when he suddenly raised his head, his hands trembling.

Bam!

“Cough?!”

“Haa, this is it. I brought this because it reminded me of the old days.”

The clutch of ‘Derby’, which flew in like a bolt from the blue, grabbed the knight’s neck.

It was a speed so fast that even a fighter who had trained in martial arts all year round would have a hard time responding.

“You hid it well during the physical exam, but you keep making such trivial mistakes. There’s nothing you can do about getting old, right?”

Derby, who raises the corners of his lips coldly and grimaces.

And the next moment.

Swish-!!

“Kkaaa-?!”

His life force rapidly drains from his body with the sound of the wind leaking out.

That life force was completely absorbed by Derby, who was smiling wickedly.

After just ten seconds, the knight was reduced to nothing but bones and wrinkled skin.

“Jin’s great absorption method. Our junior is full of ideas. Thanks to him, I’m learning a lot.”

Whoosh, the knight’s body is hit by a sword, and Derby mutters in a sarcastic tone.

She put her hand into her bosom, took something out, and placed it on her prominent nose.

It was a pair of pitch-black glasses that I had deliberately left unused the entire time I was here.

“Learning proper magic and increasing research progress. Isn’t it like killing two birds with one stone?”

“Ugh?! Sir Gallant!”

“This, this, what the hell is going on?!”

“What kind of evil magic is that!”

The carriage guards are bewildered at the sudden turn of events.

A woman with lime-hair stretches out her body as she looks over them.

“Euddeu, they say the old one is a good one. As expected, the original body is also good.”

Then he smiled eerily and muttered something incomprehensible to himself.

“No matter how well you make a chimera, it’s hard for the soul to settle in, so the senses are awkward. It also rots too quickly.”

“Che, arrest her! Surround that bitch! ”

“Warlock! Oh, no, a devil worshiper?!”

“Who are you, 4 years old! What is your identity?!”

“Me?”

The soldiers’ questions poured out one after another.

Then, the real ‘Doctor’, ‘Derby’, readily revealed his real name.

“Asenas Van Soch-Sieh. Do you get the general idea if I say it like this?”

“Asenas… …So-h-Sieh?!”

“Seo, really! A traitor warrior who abandoned humanity?”

“Wow, don’t make me laugh! I heard that the traitor warrior died at the end of the punitive war a century ago! Captured by the imperial army, his body torn to pieces… … !”

“Oh, what a cute little kid. Should I teach you something good?”

Derby, no, Asenas, straightened his slightly crooked glasses and made a sarcastic sneer.

“It’s better not to believe too much in something you haven’t seen with your own eyes. There are many false rumors spread for political reasons in the world.”

“What, what? So you’re really a traitor warrior… … ?”

“I don’t care what she is! Hurry up and surround that bitch!”

“If they resist, you can shoot them immediately! We have more numbers anyway!”

The guards quickly surround her and shout.

Those who followed to protect the eastern noblewoman, ‘Derby’, are now faced with a new mission to subdue the traitorous warrior, ‘Asenas’.

But Asenas, who was watching this, just laughed.

The blood-stained filament in her palm emitted a green flash of light.

“Arrest? Kill?”

Wow!

“You little shits?”

And the next moment.

Choo-aah-!!

“Huh?!”

“What the heck is that! Tentacles?!”

Several tentacles emerged from her back with a sticky noise.

It was a grotesque, twisted, spiral-shaped mass of flesh, resembling a rotten branch or vine.

Clang!

“Cough?!”

“Kkaaaak!”

“Whoa, retreat! Run away, yuck!”

Tentacles that instantly rush towards the escort unit.

The terrified soldiers tried to resist by swinging their weapons, but it was useless.

Crunch! Crunch!

Crackle-!!

Every time the grotesque blades and fanged flesh twitched, the soldiers’ heads and limbs flew into the air.

Soon, most of the soldiers died brutally.

The moment when only one soldier survived.

He fell to his knees, mad with fear and shock, and let out a manic laugh.

“This, eeek!”

A creepy tentacle with its mouth wide open is approaching him. Asenas, a former warrior, draws a cold crescent moon on his lips as he looks at this sight.

And the presence of an incomprehensible being shimmering translucently behind her.

“Ki, crawling! Crawling! ”

The soldier muttered as he saw something that he, as a mere human, should not see.

“Chaos… …Chaos is creeping… … !!”

And just one second later.

The tentacles swooped in, teeth flashing, aiming for his head.

“Oh my, me too?”

After a while, Asenas slaughtered all the soldiers and left the scene.

She was briskly strolling down a deserted path, talking to herself while pushing back her lime-colored side hair.

“This body has been going wild for so long. I need to control my tendency to roll my eyes when I get excited.”

A new palm drawing using hieroglyphs from the Codex of the Dead.

Asenas’ eyes sparkle as he looks at the Orichalcum medal shining brightly above it.

“… … I sucked everything out of those demons, and thanks to our junior, I gained a lot of strength.”

“Just like that!” she whispered coldly, clutching the medal tightly.

“Should I also go and prepare for a new future?”

And so, the warrior of alchemy, Asenas van Soch-Sieh, quietly disappeared towards the Eastern Gate.