Ch.87Return to the Beginning (12)

I narrowly avoided the monsters gathering in front of the castle and reached the main gate.

Fortunately, the door was open, and Liberone and I were able to slip inside.

“It’s extremely chaotic in here.”

The inside of the castle walls was incredibly disorderly.

What we encountered inside was a gloomy, dark atmosphere that felt like we had entered another world.

Darkness lay thick between the layered castle walls, and in the stillness, there was a feeling that something was breathing.

The castle towers soared toward the sky like ancient guardians, but their aged stone walls revealed traces of time, adding to the loneliness.

Doors and passages placed haphazardly here and there revealed their silhouettes even in the darkness, suggesting mysterious paths leading to unknown destinations.

The staircases seemed to lead into endless darkness, and every corner gave the impression that unknown beings might be hiding there.

Alreina’s castle appeared like one massive shadow itself.

This is because the castle directly reflects Alreina’s current mental state.

Just looking at this, I can tell how bad Alreina’s situation is.

Anyway, where should I go?

Alreina is probably in the highest tower.

If this followed the official corruption route, I’d know the castle’s structure clearly, but I’m not sure about it now.

There must be all kinds of traps inside that castle.

While I was pondering this, my body suddenly began to float upward.

Have I already fallen into a trap?!

“Take my hand, sir.”

I grabbed Liberone’s calmly extended hand and looked down.

In that brief moment, the ground was already several meters below us.

From the situation, it seems we’ll keep rising, but where are we going?

Looking up, I could see the highest tower directly above us.

Could we be heading to the tower? Did Alreina use her power?

“Liberone. Is someone up there?”

Liberone, with better eyesight than mine, looked up at the tower.

“Someone is at the window. It’s too far to identify them clearly.”

This is Alreina’s demonic realm. Of course Alreina would be in the highest tower.

She’s pulling us up.

I don’t know if we’ll be able to communicate, but at least we can face each other.

The tower was quite tall, and as we rose higher, the dry southern winds hit us roughly.

Now we were at an altitude where I could clearly see Alreina standing on the terrace.

When I made eye contact with Alreina, I was shocked.

“Is that the girl called Alreina?”

“Yes. That’s her. Though she didn’t originally look like that.”

The current Alreina was more like black flames than a person.

Within the wildly dancing black flames, extremely pale gray eyes were staring at me.

I’d seen it in the game before, but facing it in reality, the pressure was so overwhelming that I unconsciously swallowed.

As we reached the peak, our ascent gradually slowed until we landed on the terrace.

“Put away your sword, Liberone.”

At my command, Liberone withdrew her sword.

The corrupted Alreina is not an opponent Liberone can handle.

Alreina and we maintained a moment of silence, looking at each other.

I couldn’t tell if the gray eyes within the black flames were looking at me or at Liberone.

Soon, Alreina turned and slowly walked into the hall.

Alreina, seated on an ominous throne made of pitch-black obsidian in the center of the hall, finally spoke.

[Speak.]

“Gasp…!”

Liberone flinched and inhaled sharply at that voice.

Alreina’s voice was deep and echoing, filling the large hall.

It was like a sound resonating in an ancient cave, with the depth and intensity of a whirlwind rising from black flames.

The voice had a supernatural resonance that was mysterious and overwhelming enough to give listeners goosebumps.

[How did you get in?]

“Alreina.”

I opened my mouth cautiously, but Alreina didn’t respond.

[I asked you.]

Each word Alreina spoke vibrated the air, giving the impression that everything stopped when she spoke.

[How did you get in?]

“We walked in.”

[You walked in, you say.]

Alreina crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.

[Then you must also know how to advance my army northward.]

“I don’t know about that.”

I stepped forward with my arms spread.

“Alreina. Don’t you recognize me?”

At my question, Alreina tilted her head slightly.

“It’s me, Jack. The potion shop owner who wrote you a strategy guide.”

No response.

“We met before when we tackled the Scarlet Dragon. Remember?”

[The Scarlet Dragon, you say.]

“We joined forces to defeat it. And you kept writing letters to me.”

[You say I wrote letters.]

“Yes, Alreina. I’m still alive. What you saw was fake.”

[Fake?]

Alreina, who had been sitting crookedly, gradually straightened her upper body.

It seems she’s becoming interested. Let’s continue.

I carefully explained everything to Alreina.

How the kingdom’s adventure party was formed and I brought a doppelganger because I didn’t want to join.

How the adventure party, including the doppelganger disguised as me, met Genevieve at the southern subway station.

How the doppelganger died and was swept into the subway, ending up at the Doomsday Site in the north.

How Alreina, who went there for unknown reasons, found the dead doppelganger still in my form due to shape memory magic.

How she came south to avenge me by killing Genevieve due to this misunderstanding, but ended up corrupted.

And that I, standing before her now, am Jack, the shop owner she thought was dead.

Alreina said nothing and just looked at me.

Because she was wrapped in black flames, I couldn’t see her expression, so I had no idea what she was thinking.

Please, Alreina. Please remember.

[I remember.]

After an anxious moment, Alreina spoke.

“Alreina!”

[Why I am so angry.]

Alreina’s flames grew more intense.

[Until I met you, I only guessed what wrong the continent had done to me, but now it’s clear.]

As Alreina stood up, Liberone instinctively sensed the threat and grabbed her sword hilt.

[You took away what was most precious to me. Something I would exchange for my life, my existence, my everything.]

“Kheuk!”

I suddenly felt my throat being squeezed, cutting off my breath.

[Seeing how well you know the details, you must be the mastermind.]

“Alrei… na…”

Just as my vision was blurring, a brilliant golden light flashed, and whatever was choking me disappeared.

“Alreina!”

Liberone, her entire body infused with golden holy power, blocked my view and shouted.

“You said you lost something precious!”

[A Holy Knight? What an honor to have such a distinguished visitor.]

“That’s this person, Alreina!”

Liberone shouted, pointing at me behind her.

“This is the person who created you! The one who helped you take your first steps in adventure!”

[Is that so.]

“Come to your senses! You’re doing something irreversible with your own hands!”

[Hmm.]

Alreina’s flames diminished slightly, as if she was considering it.

But that was only for a moment.

[Then I should teach you a lesson.]

Alreina raised her finger and pointed at me.

[If what you’ve said is true, then this person never replied to any of the numerous letters I sent.]

“Alreina! That’s absolutely not true!”

“Look out!”

As I was taking off my bag, Liberone pushed me aside with great force.

Something pitch-black fell like a whip where Liberone and I had just been standing, shattering the floor stones.

The impact tore my bag, causing its contents to explode outward in all directions.

Oh no, this is bad!

I had no time to pick up the scattered items before I had to throw myself aside again.

“Alreina!”

Whips wrapped in black flames lashed out wildly, destroying the hall’s pillars, ceiling, and everything else.

I drank one of my potions, and suddenly the whips seemed to move relatively slower.

This was thanks to a potion that temporarily enhanced metabolism, improving reaction speed and vision.

“Liberone! Drink this!”

But before I could throw the potion, Liberone was hit by one of the whips and slammed into the wall.

“Ugh…!”

Thanks to her heavy armor, she avoided a fatal wound and managed to stand up, though staggering.

“Jack. I’m going to kill Alreina.”

Liberone gripped her sword tighter, but an incoming whip immediately wrapped around it like a vine.

With a cracking sound, the sword broke in half.

I searched my waist and pulled out an explosive potion. I wasn’t sure if it would be effective, but it was all I had.

When the potion exploded upon contact with the black flames, Alreina turned her attention to me.

“Alreina. Please, I beg you. Come to your senses!”

[I already have.]

Black energy surged from the floor beneath me, binding my limbs.

Alreina slowly approached and stood before me.

[You abandoned me.]

“That’s not true, Alreina.”

[You irresponsibly threw me just one strategy guide.]

“I was trying to help you adventure safely, avoiding dangers as much as possible.”

[If that were true, you should have stopped me from going on an adventure from the beginning.]

“What…?”

[You should have told me not to go on such a dangerous adventure and to live together in the Starting Village. Isn’t that right?]

“What are you talking about?”

[You just needed someone to deal with the world’s threats. I was just your puppet.]

Damn it…

Alreina’s corruption isn’t due to external factors.

Being vulnerable to mental attacks, once she breaks down psychologically, she keeps consuming herself endlessly.

Moreover, Alreina is now completely corrupted, with even her form transformed.

Everything in her mind is jumbled, so she’s interpreting all words as she pleases.

As she continues to sink and darken, she naturally hears everything in the worst possible way.

Is there really no solution…

“Sigh…”

Then I heard a strange sound from somewhere.

“Sigh…”

The sound came from behind Alreina.

When Alreina turned around, there was a severely hunched old woman sighing.

Could that be… the Witch of Sighs?