episode_0039

I shuddered, shaking my hands as the chimera’s thick blood dripped, plop, plop. Heart Sword was still relentlessly ravaging the ruptured chimera’s body with its sharp blade, and Ellicia, perhaps in pain from the souls’ screaming, tightly closed her eyes.

This wasn’t the first or second time this had happened. I even felt regret, wondering if I should have just killed Faust and entered The Garden instead, if I had known it would be like this.

The closer I got to the World Tree, more and more chimeras started appearing, to the point where it was hard to believe the elves hadn’t noticed, and each time, a violent wave crashed around me.

“Ellicia, have you ever seen a creature like this before?” I cautiously asked her, who was barely gripping her bowstring, about to shoot the next chimera. Her hand, covered in thick blood like mine, was trembling with an emotion I couldn’t discern, whether it was rage or sorrow. Her unfocused eyes seemed to ask, where could she look to avoid seeing the separated corpses of her brethren? Her trembling ears seemed to scream that she no longer wanted to hear the screams, which was why I hadn’t spoken until now.

‘Surely, these chimeras appeared in [The Garden] before the Demonic Cult officially began its movements… But the full moon is definitely tomorrow night… Was the interval this short…? Ellicia’s reaction makes it seem like this is her first time seeing them… Could the main quest’s mention of the timing being too early actually mean something…?’

“No… This is the first time I’ve seen… a child… no… can I call this the Mother’s child…? It’s a creature…”

A grotesque existence that even elves, who are within [The Garden], call a creature, not a child. It was certainly a creature I should encounter as I tried to save the World Tree, but the untimely appearance of these chimera, these impurities, filled my mind with a slight unease.

What I knew was only based on following the game’s story. If an unexpected story were to unfold, especially if such a mishap occurred within the main story, the game’s major pillar, I might not be able to cope.

But the full moon is approaching. The phrase that the Demonic Cult acts on the full moon was clearly stated in the game as an unchangeable fact, and since it was the first main story launched on the server, most users remembered it.

When chimeras appear and the full moon approaches, the Demonic Cult begins [Garden Erosion]. It was a phrase always written on the first line of the strategy guide for the first main story.

Isn’t it normal for people to have such thoughts in life? The countless questions that arise before undertaking a major task. But those countless questions are unlikely to become reality because the possibility of them occurring is small. It’s just me being anxious and thinking of countless possibilities. My mind reassured me thus.

“Ellicia, forgive me, but are there any more places around here where screams can be heard?”

“Uh…? Ah… I don’t think there are any more around here now…”

So few. There’s clearly a storyline where chimeras teem around the World Tree, and elves blame humanity for it again. I’ve only caught just over 10 of them. Looking at the sun pressing against the earth, it was clear a considerable amount of time had passed, but I couldn’t shake off this unsettling feeling.

“Since dusk has fallen, should we spend the night nearby?”

“Uh… alright… There’s probably a base camp around here that the elves used and left behind… Just a moment… Ah, there it is. Follow me.”

She, who had climbed a tree and was looking around, turning her head this way and that, seemed to have found what she wanted, pointing to the east with her finger as she spoke. Unable to get used to her still trembling voice, I awkwardly nodded and followed Ellicia, who now matched my pace.

It’s hard work. Extremely hard work. To walk while distinguishing similar magical powers… Normally, one would think this. No, in my case, it’s even harder because I’m blind.

“…”

As soon as Ellicia’s fingertips touched them, the leaves that filled the space in front of me moved aside to make it easier for me to pass. The leaves of the trees that obscured the sky and made it impossible to determine direction bowed their heads. At Ellicia’s small consideration, I smiled gently and followed her.

***

The time when the constellations carefully escaped the sun’s touch and tended to the children of [The Garden].

The time when tiny creatures moved about freely, whispering to each other.

The time when the cool breeze brought coolness to the lizards clinging to the trees…

Snap, a thin hand snatched away a lizard that had been enjoying the cool breeze. Was it because the pain was completely unexpected? Or was it the struggle against injustice from one who had just moments ago been reveling in freedom? The lizard squirmed diligently in the small hand, but soon went limp, becoming motionless.

“This one has a unique color. Let’s research it. Take it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Cloaked in black robes, looking like a group suffering from ‘chunibyo’ [a term for melodramatic adolescent behavior], they strode through the darkness. Thump, thump, as soon as their rough footsteps touched the trees, the trees instinctively trembled, whether knowing who they were or not.

Soon, their footsteps stopped before a certain spot. The small hand that had emotionlessly held the lizard reached out into the air as soon as they arrived at the spot.

“An illusion… and not just any illusion, but one subtly woven to prevent entry into this space itself… Who could it be… I want to research this…”

The men in black robes around her, having seen her gaze momentarily visible in the moonlight, couldn’t help but avert their eyes from her. Was it because they saw a fixation that transcended mere desire for research, something far beyond it? They quietly looked around, striving to accomplish their given mission.

Red eyes, intensely red eyes, shining even clearer with the light of the constellations. A vivid, sapphire-like light, not usually seen in her, was now emanating from her eyes as if it were not a waste. Was it due to the desire to research and uncover this phenomenon, or was it because of the black-robed figures feebly searching the surroundings? She looked at them scornfully, but still asked the one standing straight beside her.

“So when did this phenomenon occur?”

“We don’t know for certain, but you are aware there was a strong magical fluctuation yesterday afternoon, aren’t you? It was because of that…”

“Then who could cause such a phenomenon?”

“We don’t really know that…”

“Hey, this was our former branch. Something that could be handled very simply by checking the Demonic Cult’s archives, so why send out a field dispatch like this…”

“It… it was handled…”

“What did you say?”

“It was regarded as top-secret, and if revealed to the executives, it was completely deleted from the archives as well… Perhaps the only one who knows what was researched here is the Cult Leader-nim…”

As soon as that title came out of his mouth, she raised her hand, clutching her head. At that, he let out a sigh of relief and stepped back a little.

“So that’s why they were so startled… Well then… Does it feel good to pass this off to a new executive [a phrase referring to passing off undesirable work]…?” she muttered, approaching the barrier that had caused this phenomenon. Who could have designed and deployed such an intricate barrier?

Thump, she placed her hand in the air. She applied force, but the air didn’t budge at all, as if it had no intention whatsoever of accepting her. She also let magical power flow, but it merely trickled and spread here and there, like pouring magical power into a river. For a long time, she gazed at the air, her red eyes gleaming. As her curiosity grew, it soon transformed into a feeling akin to obsession.

“Um… Faust-nim…”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I found something. It looks like traces of someone having come out from inside…”

As soon as she heard that, she quickly walked towards the spot he indicated. She finally obtained a clue. This joy brought a smile to her face. She walked, almost running, towards where the black-robed figures were, and as soon as she arrived, they quickly moved aside.

The moonlight was clear, for it was almost the full moon. The twinkling stars soon helped illuminate her vision.

“Footprints… and deeply impressed marks… And they’re staggering… like a blind person… Half of the footprints are inside the barrier…”

Pitch-black, neat hair. Two eyes always kept closed. A person who always seems to use honorifics in their speech. Moreover, someone who massacred his own chimera with something.

Faust said to the robed figures around her, a wide grin stretching her face. “Hey, if someone you loved to death was around you, what would you do?”

“Well… I’d go find them…? Or make them come to me…”

“I always love my test subjects equally… but this one is a bit special… very special…”

That day, the Demonic Cult executive known as Faust found the test subject she wanted to research the most in her entire life. That identity belonged to an utterly pitiful blind person, but Faust didn’t care.