episode_0224

Episode 224

Sweet singing voice. In direct contrast to the eerie laughter, Aila’s singing voice was so beautiful that it could be thought of as a heavenly melody.

However, that is only a story that can be heard by ear. In my eyes, I could see Aela’s pitch-black magic power spreading ominously along with the waves of the water.

“Profit…!”

Reelia unleashed her divine power with all her might. I could see that my hands were trembling, as if I was praying. It seems to be a curse that is difficult to handle even with the strength of a saint.

I urgently shouted to Juliana.

“Juliana, that…!”

Juliana quickly took out a small music box from her pocket. And immediately opened the lid of the music box.

Aila’s grimoire, ‘Songs in Praise of Life’, is, as its name suggests, a grimoire told as a song.

A song is something that penetrates and reaches people’s hearts. That is why those who hear the song fall under the curse very easily. This was the reason why he was able to spread the highly difficult magic of transforming the bodies of others to many people.

However, that power is exchanged for the condition of having to listen to the song.

sound. The key to conquering Aela’s grimoire was there.

No song came out of the music box that Juliana activated. Instead, what came out of there was silence, a concept located at the opposite point of song.

Music box of silence. It is a secret weapon created using Juliana’s grimoire for the decisive battle with Aela.

The sound of busy footsteps, the clanging of iron armor, and the sweet singing sound all disappear in an instant, as if they had been absorbed. The area surrounding the music box and surrounding us became completely silent.

‘Huh?’

Aila’s mouth moved as if she was saying that. However, it seems that this level of means was already anticipated.

Aila opened her lips and began to sing another song. Although we couldn’t hear it.

Since the sound itself has been blocked, singing is no longer of any use to us. I had thought that Aela would resist using magic she had learned herself or some other way. But here you sing again?

No, wait… that song isn’t aimed at us.

There is no direction in song, but there is in mana. Aela’s black mana contained in the song was spreading beyond the realm of silence, behind us, and toward the stone chamber we had just passed through.

What’s in that room… Ah!

I hastily grabbed Pilgret’s shoulder and pointed behind him. It looks like the spell has already taken effect. In the passageway leading to the stone chamber, countless red eyes were looking in this direction.

The corpses of the minions turned into undead and rushed towards us, screaming inaudibly. Could it be that the seemingly meaningless sacrifice of his subordinates was to stop us?

The area of silence acted as a double-edged sword. It was difficult to communicate perfectly with just a few pre-arranged hand signals.

Still, the knights were blocking the entry of the undead without disrupting their ranks. The ability to maintain this level of command amidst imperfect command is probably thanks to regular training.

Aila smiled a long, eerie smile as she looked at us who were in a bit of confusion. I started walking this way, breaking the surface of the water with gentle waves.

– What a great goal system, Sarah Lustier. Was your confidence only supported by people like that?

Letters that are engraved directly into your mind instead of sounds. It’s the same as the Tree of Knowledge. It was like proof that Aela had already obtained some degree of the power of the Tree of Knowledge.

If so, it would be possible to answer in the same way. I answered silently and with my heart.

‘It’s difficult if you act like you’ve already won. No matter how strong the undead you create are, they won’t be able to break through the knights.’

When they died and became monsters, their physical abilities seemed to be stronger than when they were alive. However, due to the small number and narrow entrance, the knights were able to defend effectively.

Moreover, even if they come in, as long as Reelia is alive and well, the body built by the curse will only be purified immediately.

In such a situation, Aila has to fight 3:1 with me, Juliana, and Carmel. Despite this, Aila did not lose her easy smile.

Juliana opened the grimoire with her other hand, which was holding the music box. At the same time, stone walls rose from beneath the water and surrounded Aila.

Unlike the relaxed Aila, Juliana’s expression was full of life. When he came face to face with Aila, he seemed to remember what he had done to his daughter Sara.

It appears that a dull sound is echoing inside the wall, as if the shamans were killed. I could only guess based on the vibrations spreading across the water. But I could see that Aila had never died.

Huge black mana. Burning black mana was burning in the middle surrounded by a stone wall. The moment it coalesced into a sphere, Juliana’s stone wall collapsed.

The collapse of the wall was not caused by mana, but by physical force. This happened when Aela, who was trapped inside the wall, transformed herself into a gigantic being.

‘Giant snake…? No, it’s a basilisk…!’

Even though its body was only halfway upright, the snake’s head was on the verge of touching the ceiling. On the back of the snake’s head, long thorns and skin stretched out in a crown-like shape.

It looks exactly like the basilisk that I have only heard about in folklore. However, its size was much larger than generally known.

Did you know that the basilisk is called the king of snakes? Even among those basilisks, it was so majestic that it could be said to be a king.

Juliana glared at the huge thing without being discouraged. But he seemed to feel a sense of disappointment. Juliana’s Red Fairy Book was not suitable for fighting such a monster.

The appearance of a huge monster began to cause a stir even among the knights. Some of them even committed protruding actions.

No, I should say that the loyalty imprinted on me as a knight was too strong beyond my trained movements. The moment they saw the princess exposed in front of the giant basilisk, several knights immediately broke free from the barrier of silence and rushed toward Aila.

‘Stop…!’

Reelia’s earnest voice and hand gestures did not reach them. They jumped out of the barrier and the scope of divine power and instantly took on a gigantic larva-like form, struggling in the water.

It seems that Aila’s singing did not stop even after becoming a basilisk. Pilgret’s face hardened as he looked at his colleagues who had been horribly mutated.

That wasn’t all. The blue water around Eila was gradually turning black with something leaking from the snake’s skin.

Basilisk poison. It is the strongest poison, almost impossible to decipher.

The surface of the water had already overflowed and the water was up to our feet. If the poison spread here, there was no place to escape.

The knights fought desperately to clear the entrance. However, even if the body was completely decomposed, or even purified by Reelia, the undead would immediately regenerate and rise again. Aila’s song, which continued to echo in this space, seemed to be reviving them.

Looking at our struggle, Aila flicked her long snake tongue. It had the face of a snake, but the corners of its mouth were turned up at both ends, as if it were smiling coldly.

– Kkkk… It’s really ugly to see someone struggling in the face of death. Ultimately, that is your nature, Lustier, to follow the teachings of the goddess.

Aila seemed completely confident of her victory.

In fact, it is a situation that has no choice but to see it that way.

We have no means of escaping from this place right now or any way of avoiding the approaching poison.

If there’s only one way to survive… it’s to defeat Aila. There was a secret weapon prepared for that, but there was no way to use it at the moment.

When I didn’t answer with a stern expression, Aila continued speaking in her head in a more cheerful tone.

– It seems like he’s admitting defeat. Then Sarah Lustier. I’m giving you one last chance to practice integrity. If you and Carmel entrust yourselves to me, I will spare the rest.

‘…You’ll save me? ‘How can you believe something like that?’

– Is there any other way than to believe me? I don’t mind at all. It would be nice to watch you hateful people suffer miserably from the poison and die.

Is there no room for choice?

This is also an opportunity.

If you think about why Aila went out of her way to ask for Carmel, this is true.

If I had planned to kill him right away, I would have killed him right here.

The idea is to get Carmel drunk and return the pain to me as severe as the provocation I suffered in my dream.

Rather, it becomes an opportunity. Although it will require great determination from both me and Carmel.

‘…all right. I surrender to you. Me and Carmel too.’

At my answer, the snake shook its huge body and trembled. He seemed to be intoxicated with extreme joy.

I held the hand of Carmel, who was watching the situation with an anxious face.

Carmel doesn’t know the content of the conversation between Aila and I. But when Carmel looked into my eyes, she nodded firmly.

In the midst of her confusion, Reelia’s eyes widened as she looked back. A silent scream was coming out of her mouth as she opened in shock.

I’m sorry, Reelia, Rika, Juliana, Pilgret, and my knights.

Leave this fight to me. Because I will definitely, definitely win.

Without anyone to stop me, I held Carmel’s hand and led her. Outside the silent barrier, into a space where the curse of mutation swirls.

With the sensation of her body transforming into a strange being, the Basilisk’s huge maw came out and attacked Carmel.