Awakening (1)

<Side : Edward Silverlight>

Even if I had noticed, it would have been too late.

To live on in ignorance and ugliness, or to die honorably with omniscience.

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『Martyr’s Moon – Day 9 (Dawn)』

As the boundary between night and morning blurred, an ominous atmosphere pervaded the Territory.

From the rooftop of a certain building, which offered a clear view of the Territory’s entirety, I had been observing the situation.

Before blaming my own incompetence for failing to recognize the Territory’s threat until now, I briefly recalled the ominous signs within the Territory.

“It started with the disappearance of vagrants. Followed by Lacy’s feminization, and attacks on the Muse Priest… I considered the possibility that each incident was connected, but I thought it was separate from this situation… Even that was part of the plan of whoever designed the Territory’s downfall.”

A plan filled with extreme malice. It wasn’t simply about collapsing the Territory with brute force, but about brainwashing and manipulating people one by one to create internal enemies, undermining it from within. This required both power and intelligence to support it.

“Going to face them alone is no different from suicide. Or… perhaps I’m already…”

I began to suspect that the effects had already reached my own body.

The muscles I had trained were diminishing, my arms and shoulders were becoming thinner, and my body was weakening. In contrast, my lower body would intermittently heat up, giving me an indescribable feeling.

This had never happened before, but it started accelerating after I was pricked by the Thorn Wall in the forest and smelled the suspicious Scent in the Guild Master’s office.

Moreover, a smell similar to that suspicious Scent… as if mocking me, now filled the entire Territory. If I paid even a little attention, it felt like it would immediately travel up my nose and into my head.

As I was lost in thought, the incident suddenly occurred.

“……? The citizens are moving… Why?”

In the early dawn, when the dark sky had not yet receded, the Territory residents moved. That is, too early for the Territory residents to start their daily lives in earnest, they moved.

Not a single one of them wore any clothes, flaunting their outstanding and voluptuous bodies. The Territory residents, whose gender distinctions seemed to have disappeared, possessed a neutral yet exquisite beauty.

It wasn’t as if they were possessed… everyone who was moving had a clear sense of self and was walking. And their footsteps were heading to… only one place.

“The Church… The numbers are, all of the Territory residents, even the Garrison.”

The Garrison, who should have been protecting the Territory residents showing ominous movements, were instead taking the lead in guiding them to the Church. Soon, all of the Territory residents headed straight for the Church.

Those who reached the front of the Church immediately opened the doors and went inside, continuously… without any delay, they entered the Church one after another.

“But… why are they able to enter so freely? No matter how large the Church is among the buildings in the Territory, it shouldn’t be able to accommodate that many people…”

No matter how large the Church building was, it didn’t equate to it being able to accommodate all the Territory residents.

However, in the scene I was witnessing, everyone was moving easily without any sign of being hindered from entering. If the interior was full and there was no room to set foot, there would be people left at the entrance. The fact that that wasn’t the case… there was only one conclusion.

“I’m guessing… no, I’m sure. The interior of the Church has probably turned into a Magic pocket that goes on infinitely. It’s large enough to easily accommodate hundreds, thousands of people…”

As I was muttering to myself, all those people had entered the Church, and the streets were desolate.

Doors of houses left open haphazardly, merchants’ goods left unorganized, a bleak atmosphere once again enveloped the Territory.

“I doubt I should call those humans… but two remain. Are they guarding the Church?”

What remained were two figures.

One was a muscular woman with dark brown skin and ominous red horns.

The other was an Avian race woman with skin as black as if you would be sucked into it, and green wings spread wide.

Of course, both women had breasts larger than their heads, and male genitalia that surpassed those of ordinary adult men, violent male genitalia that exceeded the forearms of a trained martial artist, standing erect.

“The one with the brown skin… I remember seeing her. She’s a Slave from the Empire, a former commander whose records were left in the Black Market… Her name was Elaine, I think.”

She resembled the photo drawn in the ledger found in the Black Market that I had previously cracked down on. However, her body was several times larger than before, and she had grown organs that shouldn’t be there.

“Next to her… could that be Francis? No way… or is it possible? Could even Francis…”

The color of the wings and skin were completely different, but there was only one person with wings in this Territory. Francis Wing, the Garrison Commander of the Territory… Even she, who possessed a strong and powerful force, was participating in the Territory’s downfall in such a vulgar state…

“Haa… I’m acutely aware of my own incompetence.”

I watched while holding my breath, and at the same time, I thought of those who had not visited the Church. First of all, my wife Annie, Guild Master Herry, as well as Justis, the Headmaster of the orphanage currently staying here, and Elizabeth and Myrit, the top-tier adventurers, and so on…

In fact, I hadn’t been able to reach those I mentioned for some time. I had comfortably imagined that they had temporarily stopped contacting me to prepare for this incident, but the reality was not so.

In the worst case… I had to consider the possibility that all of them might have defected to the enemy. The reason they didn’t enter the Church might be that they were already waiting inside…

“Ugh……!?”

It was a fleeting moment. The gazes of the two people guarding the Church, without exchanging any signals, turned towards where I was at the same time.

I hurriedly lowered my head, went under the roof, and hid myself.

“Did they find me……!”

In preparation for a possible battle, I gripped the armed equipment tightly in my hand. From which direction are they coming…! The weapons, the tactics…!

I was desperately turning my thought circuits and devising tactics, but even after several minutes, there was no attack.

Instead… I saw an unexpected person approaching the Church.

“A, Annie…?”

A woman walking from afar, away from the Church.

Hair that shone so brightly it hurt the eyes. Pale white skin. A male genitalia that shouldn’t be on a woman, and enlarged breasts, etc… Annie, who had a body very similar to the changed Territory residents I had just witnessed, was walking towards the Church with trembling legs.

“She’s changed that much in the short time I haven’t been to the mansion……”

The first time I became suspicious was because of the smell that Annie had after visiting the Garrison barracks. It wasn’t coming from her, but a smell that had rubbed off from the outside. Immediately after that, I noticed the anomaly in the forest, and I intuitively felt that the two incidents were related.

So I inadvertently distanced myself from Annie, and even now I haven’t gone to see her. No, I couldn’t.

Because I… loved Annie so much that I felt like I wouldn’t be able to let go once I reached out to her…

“Even now…… Keueut…”

However, the Chains of the past, which firmly suppressed even my affection for my partner… were intertwined even in the present, so I couldn’t go to help Annie.

The young wolf who had been leashed by Fairies and turned into a hunting dog, even after being released from them and having the leash cut, was left with leash marks all over his body like a Curse.

Even though I was aware of the abnormal situations and emotions caused by it, my body regarded the Curse as if it had been my body from the beginning, so it was impossible to deal with it.

“I can’t, I can’t play anymore! You mustn’t forget us! You must never talk about us! Our secret!”

The words that I couldn’t reveal the fact that I had met the Fairies to anyone, at first, even if I tried to speak, my mouth was blocked as if I had become mute.

Furthermore, it even made me reluctant to interact with others and form groups. I didn’t even hire a common porter or auxiliary personnel to clean up after catching Monsters.

Was it because if there were many people involved, they might notice that I was related to the Fairies, whether voluntarily or involuntarily…?

“That’s right, that’s right! Edward is the hunting dog! The hunting dog must chase the prey without getting tired or scared!”

Each and every word of the Fairies faithfully eroded my nature as a human being. Because of the words “don’t be afraid” and “don’t get tired,” I didn’t back down even when facing strong enemies, I didn’t feel fear, and even if one side of my body was crippled and covered in blood, I faced the opponent without running away.

It was as if… the emotion of fear had been castrated.

And perhaps because of the characteristic of being a hunting dog chasing Monsters, from the very day I was transferred from the world of Fairies, I chased and killed Monsters, and as a result of slaughtering Monsters without taking care of my well-being, I was awarded a medal to receive a Territory.

“Annie…”

When I was catching Monsters like a solitary wolf, I met the only being who could overcome these Fairy bonds, and that was Annie.

In the moment when the goal of life other than catching Monsters was about to fade, after meeting her, a hot flame burned from the depths of my heart.

That’s right… both Annie and I were strongly drawn to each other as soon as we saw each other.

Not just simple feelings of love, but an anxious longing. Now that the memory of the existence of family has disappeared and been forgotten, I was surprised that I myself could share such feelings with others.

A feeling like reuniting with family… a contradictory feeling that I strongly felt when I was with Annie. I loved her and loved her again, but for some reason, I felt a great aversion to having a physical relationship with Annie.

“It, it’s all your doing…! Making me look like a fool…! Making me make mistakes that I wouldn’t normally make one after another…!]

[Keuheuk♥ There’s nothing uglier than blaming others for your own incompetence. Wife♥ From the beginning, the premise was wrong]

[As Elaine said… Heuheu♥ If an incomplete person like you has reached the level where you can notice the signs, then we, who are complete, can meticulously hide them so that they are not detected♥]

“You shouldn’t go that way……”

But Annie was already heading towards Elaine, her eyes bloodshot, and shouting with sticky sweat beading all over her body.

[Then, wife… now that you’ve come this far, why don’t you come in♥]

[That’s right. As the one in charge of guarding today’s Mass, I’ll safely escort the VIP♥]

“Keueueueuk…!!”

After a few conversations, Annie, who was held by Elaine and Francis, was forcibly taken into the Church, and in the end, there was no one in the Territory, and only the enemies were rampant.

“I have to save Annie… I should help her, but I should……”

It was only natural to save my partner, the one I loved. It was the set answer to save Annie, who had planted another goal in life other than hunting Monsters, but…

My body was desperately rejecting it. Even in this situation, the Curse made me hesitate to form a group.

I could only calm down by rationalizing myself with the flimsy excuse that Annie’s appearance was just unusual.

It was truly… a ridiculous story. Just because her appearance has changed a little, it doesn’t erase the fact that Annie is my partner… She can’t not be on my side. Rather, if I don’t help her, the situation could get even worse…

“It’s deplorable. This body……”

The firmly closed Church door never opened.

The firmly tied wolf’s legs never moved.

As I futilely stared at the Church and time was wasted, around noon… another commotion broke out.

–Kwaang…!!!!!!!!!!

The Church door, which seemed like it would remain firmly closed, was flung open, and something flapping purple wings quickly rushed out.

It was close to the speed of sound, so I couldn’t confirm it properly, but I intuitively realized what it was chasing.

It wasn’t me.

Surely…

“Annie…… Did she escape?”

It was just a happy imagination, but if she had escaped for some reason… I, an incompetent and irresponsible husband who could only watch without giving help, could only wish for her to survive safely.

“Please just live. I’ll… I’ll take care of the aftermath.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, recalled the memories of hugging Annie, and whispered while holding the Chains and Gunblade that I had prepared.

Hoping that this voice would reach Annie…

However… even when evening came and the next day came, neither Annie nor the purple wings that were chasing her returned.

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