Ch.272Chapter 272: Encounters Were Always Unpleasant

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After momentarily putting to rest the unpleasant feeling that was desperately trying to raise its head,

I slowly… very slowly turned my head toward the source of the voice.

More accurately, my head was turned against my will.

Despite my tremendous effort not to turn,

That voice—though possessing an exceptionally beautiful tone—which instilled a natural sense of disgust in its listeners,

Had pulled my head around like iron drawn to a magnet.

After swallowing the bile rising in my throat while feeling utterly dumbfounded,

I looked at her.

The master of this twisted space made of obsidian where I had been captured.

The very person who had distorted my repeatedly recycled life.

The goddess blindly worshipped by countless powerful beings who had received the baptism of twisted power after settling in this place.

Hair as fiery red as my own, to the point where it seemed excessive.

And unlike me, even her pupils gleamed with the same color as her hair, glistening with desire.

The rest of her features and attire were so perfectly matched to this obsidian-filled space that they could only be described as black. Such was my impression upon facing Desire after so long.

“Ptui.”

In the end, I expressed it by spitting the bile I couldn’t fully swallow onto the obsidian floor.

This was a ritual-like act I always performed after concluding a private audience with that being, ever since unwillingly becoming its agent before my regression.

The only difference now was that this wasn’t a private audience—there were eyes watching.

Just as I thought this action would provoke some reaction from somewhere,

‘As expected…’

I could see dark red energy flying from somewhere, approaching me and attempting to coil around me like a snake forming its loops.

Naturally, this wasn’t done by Desire, who had gleefully celebrated upon seeing me when I entered the room.

“You…!!”

It was the Adorator who had quickly followed behind her, barely suppressing what would have been a curse through gritted teeth, releasing only his fighting spirit.

While it would have been impossible for this level of fighting spirit to actually bind my body, I remained still without resisting his aura, intending to play along appropriately.

“That won’t be necessary.”

With a voice that still sounded deceptively gentle to the ear, Desire raised her right hand, preventing the Adorator’s fighting spirit from wrapping around me.

I felt a tinge of disappointment as my plan to escape by taking advantage of my opponent’s carelessness—assuming I would be powerless after being captured—was thwarted.

But I had no intention of wasting time on the meaningless act of dwelling on what had already passed.

As I lightly shook my head from side to side and was about to direct my gaze back toward Desire,

I saw it. A sight that would seem strange to anyone.

Imperfectio, who had been standing at a moderate distance from me, was glaring at the Adorator who had tried to release his fighting spirit against me, with such a terrifying intensity that she had nearly drawn the holy sword at her waist.

Though she ultimately lowered her hand that had reached for the sword since Desire immediately restrained the Adorator,

Judging by the momentary intensity I felt, it was clear that had Desire not intervened, she would certainly have used that holy sword to take action against the Adorator.

This was confirmed by the expression of regret on Imperfectio’s face as she withdrew her hand from the sword.

Hmm, so she’s capable of making such expressions. Seeing that expression on a face that looks like it has a siege weapon embedded in it is strangely melancholic…

No, now is not the time to waste on such thoughts.

After quickly dismissing the strange impression I got from the momentary expression on Imperfectio’s face,

“…”

I glared at Desire with a deliberately unfriendly expression, saying nothing.

“Still… full of energy, I see.”

I barely managed to keep my face from scowling at the unpleasantness that crept into my ears from Desire’s voice.

Considering how I had unfailingly scowled at her words not only before my regression but also throughout countless timelines that remained in my memory,

I wanted to congratulate myself for having enough composure to maintain my expression here.

But a massive presence that surpassed the unpleasantness creeping into my ears filled my mind, making me too exhausted to even congratulate myself, let alone maintain a stoic gaze at Desire.

What was filling my mind to the point of exhaustion?

Isn’t it obvious?

[….]

It was the extraordinary aura emanating from Fafnir, who had remained silent since awakening from his second sleep.

Though there were no words, not even the sound of breathing, so my mind was enveloped in absolute silence,

Even without being visible or audible, presence is something that can weigh down on human senses beyond the five traditional ones.

The pressure was so intense that it felt as if someone were forcibly pressing down on both my shoulders.

While I had countless experiences of being overwhelmed by Fafnir’s massive presence in the imaginary world he had summoned to train me,

It was truly surprising that he had never directly exerted such physical influence on me outside the material world like this before.

As I struggled to endure the pressure that the still-silent Fafnir was exerting on me,

Desire, who had moved away from me while pushing the Adorator back, seemed to notice the anomaly happening to me and turned her gaze toward me again.

“Hmm?”

She let out a curious hum and began to observe me.

With her head slightly tilted in curiosity,

Her two blood-red eyes sparkled in a way that might have appeared beautiful enough to elicit gasps from those who didn’t know who she was.

‘Ugh.’

But to me, it only brought disgust beyond unpleasantness, to the point of nausea.

Perhaps my expression management failed again without my realizing it.

“You…!!”

The Adorator standing behind Desire displayed his anger with the most restrained body movements he could muster.

“I thought it strange how you’re more energetic than at any other moment we’ve faced each other…”

This time, instead of restraining the Adorator, Desire merely voiced her observations about me.

…What’s this? Is this woman perhaps looking at ‘something else’ rather than me?

And as if to prove my intuition correct,

Desire, without taking her eyes off me, gently raised her left hand and repeatedly brought her thumb and middle finger together, showing signs of preparing something.

It was clearly a preparation stance for lightly flicking her fingers.

‘Crazy…’

Along with curses I couldn’t utter aloud, my mind—which had clearly recognized what this meant before my regression—

Instinctively reached out with my right hand to grab Desire’s left hand, intending to stop her.

But despite my efforts,

Snap-!!

I ultimately failed to prevent the sound of snapping fingers from filling this dark chamber.

Here it comes, the excruciating pain that would make me scream like a little girl, no, like a newborn infant the moment it hits… It’s not coming?

As I was checking my palms with my eyes in confusion, trying to see if there was anything wrong with my body,

[Guh…GAAAH!!]

Though not undignified, Fafnir’s scream, clearly experiencing tremendous pain, echoed in my mind.

“…Crazy.”

I was so shocked that the relatively polite curse I had tried to keep to myself escaped my lips.

“Hehehe…”

But Desire, without frowning at my brief curse,

“My, my…”

Displayed an even deeper satisfaction on her face than when she had openly rejoiced upon seeing me.

Even the Adorator, who had been glaring at me like a demon from behind her, showed bewilderment.

While that fellow was confused because he didn’t understand the situation, I, facing Desire, knew why she was acting this way.

“I never expected to find a guest as welcome as you here… My, it feels like I’m being rewarded for all my hardships.”

The one she referred to as a guest as welcome as me was none other than…

“Well, contrary to my delight, this one probably doesn’t welcome me any more than you do.”

Snap-!!

With another cheerful flick of her fingers,

[Nngh…!!]

As Fafnir let out another pain-filled groan, less severe than before but still agonized, adding more complexity to my already complicated thoughts,

“Isn’t that right? Fafnir.”

Desire openly called Fafnir by name—a name that should have been imperceptible to anyone except me who possessed the dragon sword—showing that she knew everything.

“Haah…”

I couldn’t help but sigh with frustration at the opponent’s insight, which had already seen through the cards I hadn’t even revealed yet.

To correct the wrong choices. To prevent what should never happen. I had trained myself like iron plunged into fire, even reducing my sleeping hours.

And despite repeatedly tempering the exhilaration I felt as results gradually came from those efforts, I had forgotten something important.

Despite her frivolity unbefitting her status. Despite being only half-complete, unable to exert physical influence on the material world outside this obsidian palace except through an agent due to her constraints.

Although these numerous so-called constraints were reasons for me to underestimate this woman before me,

Nevertheless, to the extent that the pre-regression me had kept the dagger in my heart hidden until the very last moment—

Clap clap clap-!!

“Ahahahaha!! Finally, the opportunity for this Desire to seize everything is coming!!”

While cheerfully snapping her fingers and somehow inflicting pain on Fafnir through some unknown pathway without showing any sign of it,

“Ahahahaha!! Hahahahahahaha!!!”

The maniacal laughter of Desire—a transcendent being possessing twisted divinity—made her finger-snapping seem dignified by comparison, proving she was not to be taken lightly.

There’s an old saying used by the people of the Eastern Continent that I like:

Even if caught by a tiger, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.

It means that no matter how difficult the situation you face, you can escape crisis by doing what needs to be done with unwavering focus—a proverb that comes to mind because

The current situation is an unprecedented crisis even compared to before my regression.

And I’m not sure if I can properly maintain my focus in facing it.

A laughing evil god, a demi-god silently watching beside her, an agent with an unreadable expression, and if that weren’t enough,

Fafnir, who has gone completely silent after groaning in pain.

All of these are weighing down on my mind that should stand straight.

It seems I really need to pull myself together.

Whether aware of my complicated feelings or not, Desire’s maniacal laughter continued to ring in my ears with no sign of diminishing.