episode_0045

Whoosh, whoosh. Whoosh~♪

A bespectacled shadow hanging a lab coat on a hanger and whistling a creepy tune.

In the old laboratory, only a musty, moldy smell lingers.

The cold, ammonia-scented air wafting from the machines installed to keep the corpses fresh.

As he quietly greeted this, the ‘Doctor’, who had just returned to his residence, recalled the content of the play he had just seen with a cool smile.

“… … ”

If you’re stuck in a lab for 24 hours, your brain will actually slow down. Considering this, I disguised myself as a normal person and went out for a bit.

Phantom, a new warrior candidate who has been on people’s lips recently.

He heard that the horror play he wrote to coincide with the prince’s birthday was premiering.

Even because we obtained information that the subject was an ancient demon that was active before the proselytization of Cheonshinism.

‘I went there because I thought there might be something to refer to since the research trends are the same.’

As expected, he is a worthy candidate for the title of warrior. The doctor’s expectations were not misplaced.

His pen gave the Doctor new insight in the form of a play.

Whirik, whirik~ ♬

Whistling ominously again, the Doctor recalled some of the most interesting rumors that had been circulating in the capital recently.

“Is the Necronomicon a real book? Heh heh.”

A strange grimoire filled with records of the Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos.

Of course, I don’t know if the rumor is true or not, but it was a pretty interesting guess for a rumor spread by idiots.

because.

In fact, the Doctor himself had an ‘ancient book’ very similar to the Necronomicon in his possession.

Chomp!

The sound of pages turning in an old book with an eerie cover.

The Doctor adjusted his crooked glasses as he gazed at the relics covered in strange hieroglyphics.

Another book of grimoires with the title ‘Codex of the Dead’ written in ancient language.

It’s a troublesome object that was put into the water a long time ago, but unfortunately, it’s been difficult to decipher so far.

The structure of the hieroglyphs is also difficult to understand, which is typical of profane writing. It is because there were so many descriptions that were beyond common sense and difficult to understand the true meaning.

But as of today, that too has changed.

“A being from another world who regains his body and awakens on the day the stars line up properly.”

Mutter. The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he reflected on the attributes of the Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos.

Of course, I know it’s just a fictitious play.

The doctor is also an intellectual who has accumulated knowledge in various fields over a long period of time.

Because I have been studying hell and the devil for quite some time.

But what really mattered was the sparkling inspiration provided by the Cthulhu Mythos, and the entirely new perspectives gained from that inspiration.

A fresh and sharp perspective that finally allows us to grasp the complex threads within the Codex of the Dead.

“You said Phantom, the candidate for the warrior of the pen? As expected, he is my junior.”

“Kidduk kidduk,” the doctor muttered with a cold sneer.

“You gave such a valuable gift to an old-fashioned senior you’ve never met. I guess I should go and thank you someday?”

As he finished speaking, the doctor turned up the brightness of the magic lamp next to him by a few levels.

The increased brightness revealed the display case near the research desk.

And inside the display case, an old medal was shining brightly.

A medal made of the precious metal orichalcum, identical in shape to those worn by the pen warrior candidate Phantom and the sword warrior candidate Maya.

… … and that day the Doctor got a hint on how to properly interpret the Codex of the Dead.

Unbeknownst to anyone on the continent, a portion of the constellations in the sky moved slightly.

“The Necronomicon is a real book! The records in it are all true!”

“The Phantom author actually wrote the Cthulhu Mythos based on the contents of the Necronomicon!”

“Close the window! Lock the door! We are all dead!”

An absurd rumor suddenly spread throughout the capital.

Anxiety and fear have soared as rumors spread uncontrollably, with no clear originator.

The content of the rumor in question was simpler and clearer than expected.

In fact, the Necronomicon is a record written by a real-life reclusive prophet named Howard Lovecraft.

The specific gist is that Phantom met Lovecraft, read it, and expressed it in a play.

Of course, people weren’t spreading those rumors without any basis.

The last line of Lovecraft, the human actor who appears at the end of the puppet show .

Those few ominous words had a profound effect on the distortion of the thoughts of the people of the capital.

[What rises will sink, and what sinks will rise! The day when creepy beings dream and wait in the abyss! The day when the tottering human civilization collapses will surely come!]

In reality, it is just an excerpt from the short story , intended to give a creepy ending typical of horror films.

However, the judgment of those who were deceived by the rumors that took control of the capital was different.

Just as modern people have interpreted the writings of the astrologer Nostradamus to claim that the world would end in 1999.

The people of this world distorted the context of this line, taking it as a warning that demons would rise from the primordial darkness.

As things grew bigger, the Vandebuhne Theater and the Phantom quickly denied the rumors and took action to extinguish them, but once a fire has been lit, it is not easy to put it out.

As is the case with all conspiracy theories, the only reason to disbelieve the explanation was to make it up.

“Actually, the author of Phantom made a pact with Lovecraft not to reveal his existence!”

“Even the reclusive Lovecraft met with the Phantom on the condition that he portray himself as a fictional character?!”

“They say Phantom even swore a life-threatening oath so that he wouldn’t break his promise of silence!”

A malicious rumor that is indiscriminately exaggerated by pounding and pounding again.

It spread beyond the borders of the capital and spread like a horse traveling a thousand miles without legs throughout the empire.

Even if you don’t know about the character Phantom, and have never seen the Cthulhu Mythos.

The rumor that demons lurked beneath the surface of humanity, waiting for the time of resurrection, was chilling in itself.

Even the citizens of the capital were said to be in an uproar, so there was no reason for the people outside the capital not to be completely fooled.

As a result, a wave of mass hysteria known as demonophobia swept across the Empire.

This is a comical re-enactment of the American urban legend that people mistook the content of the 1939 radio drama, The War of the Worlds, for a real alien invasion and were shocked and terrified.

“Wow, we’re all gonna die! When Cthulhu wakes, we’re all gonna die!”

“Keeek! Hastur is coming! The yellow-clothed king is coming to fuck us up with his tentacles!”

“Ah, over there! At the window! At the window!”

“Calm down! Dagon the Fish Demon is a fiction! There’s nothing outside the window!”

“No! There’s a spider the size of a fist on the window!”

“Eww, shit!”

… … But fortunately for the Phantom, this fear did not lead to extreme riots or apocalyptic predictions.

Faithful priests and conscientious members of parliament, stationed throughout the empire, having received advance notice from the metropolitan diocese.

They did their best to bring stability back by comforting us with the words, ‘God will protect us.’

In doctrine, the only god is the great and good being who created life and governs providence.

Their teaching was that even if Cthulhu really existed, humanity would be safe from its clutches.

Thanks to this, the empire was able to gradually escape from the exaggerated hysteria.

Instead, the fear that seemed to have subsided in the capital ended up being expressed in a completely unexpected way in the provinces outside the capital… …

… … It was an attempt to prevent the resurrection of the demons in the Cthulhu Mythos.

Local people who were not familiar with the setting of R’lyeh in the Cthulhu Mythos and only heard rumors and hearsay about Cthulhu’s hibernation.

A new madness has spread around them, with the idea that they must find the cradle of demons and contact government agencies.

“Let’s stop the resurrection of the demons ourselves!”

“Find the nest of ancient demons! Let’s find them and seal them forever so they never come out!”

“Gyaaak, you devil worshippers trying to resurrect the devil! Do you think I’ll let you threaten the world!”

The excited crowd formed a vigilante group armed with sickles and pitchforks and began to raid the historic sites around the capital.

If the origin of the relic is uncertain or seems to be related to the devil, search the area thoroughly.

If I discovered anything suspicious, I would run to the security guard without delay and report it.

As a result, the coast guards across the country, except for the capital, were plagued by all kinds of false reports, just like the villagers who were fooled by the lies of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

“No! It’s just the ruins of an old city-state that fell into ruin, ma’am!”

“Huh! Stupid! Then how do you explain these ominous patterns found on the walls and pillars?”

“How many times do I have to say that that’s just some random graffiti left by passersby for fun!”

“Look at this! The relief carved into the ruins here! It looks exactly like Dagon from the Cthulhu Mythos!”

“This is just a fish relief, student! It’s just a symbol of a good harvest!”

“A nude painting of a fat woman found in a suspicious studio in a corner of the city! Isn’t this kind of bizarre painting only devil worshippers would share? ”

“That, that, that’s what I asked the studio to do! Everyone has their own tastes, sir!”

“Eww! Phantom, you son of a bitch-!!”

Every chance they get, they keep poking around saying things like this is creepy or that is suspicious, to the point where it almost resembles a witch hunt on Earth.

The residents’ burning suspicion eventually reached a point where even the guard soldiers all complained of neurosis.

… … It was one day when the madness continued in such an unexpected direction.

“That’s right! There’s a demon revival cult gathering here! I saw that weird group heading this way!”

“Yes, yes. I guess so, sir.”

“Is there any chance? Let’s go quickly.”

A small city on the outskirts, located several dozen kilometers from the capital of the Holy Empire.

A 70-year-old city resident spits as he leads the guards to the ruins of a castle that is said to have collapsed over 700 years ago.

And as they looked at the back of the excited old man, the young agents who followed him just let out deep sighs.

This week alone, there have already been 30 reports of gatherings or traces of demonic forces.

And, quite naturally, all 30 attempts were a waste of time.

“It’s been a century since we wiped out the devil worshippers, when on earth are you talking about the enemy?”

“Anyway, it’s Phantom or something. It’s because of the Seoul swindlers’ jokes that I’m having such a hard time.”

“Damn. It’s a crime to just work outside the capital.”

The horror puppet show, , is causing a huge stir in the imperial capital.

The local soldiers who were cursed because of this grumbled and criticized the wandering theater troupe and the great writer who were the culprits.

A continuous purge operation carried out by the Cheonshin Church in the past in cooperation with governments of various countries.

Haven’t the traitors of humanity who serve the devil long since dried up?

Although I often heard bad news about demons and thieves appearing, I have never once heard of a devil worship ritual being discovered during my time on duty.

“Use it. It’s my fate. I’m retiring next month, but my military life is completely messed up.”

A young captain of ten from the guards, standing at the very front and leading his men. He sighed as he fiddled with the hilt of the sword on his waist.

Because this old man was being so tough, he received an order from his superiors to just adjust his temper for a moment.

But of course, neither he nor his subordinates were following the old man with a serious attitude.

Anyway, this report will be nothing more than a futile effort that will yield no results.

All I could think of was a desperate wish to quickly finish my investigation, get off work, and have some beer.

… … But it was at that moment that I followed the old man deep into the problematic castle site.

Grrr… … !!

A sudden, dull noise of heavy stones being moved in a dark room.

Then a secret door with a hinged doorway opened upwards from the floor.

A secret entrance that none of the residents passing by had noticed. But it was revealed right before the eyes of the old man and the guards.

And then, walking confidently out from the stairs under the secret door… …

“Woohoohoo. You worked hard today, glorious comrades.”

“Arrogant and foolish religious bastards. Didn’t you ever dream that we’ve been growing stronger underground all this time?”

“The great Demon King’s resurrection is just around the corner. Let’s work hard for the day when the demons of hell will rise.”

… … Surprisingly, they were real devil worshippers, wearing crimson robes and holding bowls of skulls and goat blood.

“Huh?!”

“Huh?!”

The guards and devil worshippers, all of whom were frozen in place by the unexpected encounter.

A heavy silence flowed between the two sides, as if each second felt like a hundred years.

And in the next moment, the captain of the ten who came to his senses first hastily drew his sword.

“Ah, ah, devil worshippers! Arrest them all-!!”

“Ah! Yes! Surround him so he can’t escape! Make sure he can’t close that stone door again, Peter!”

“Heeek! D, I got caught-!!”

“Huh, uh, how did you get caught! Security must have been perfect all this time!”

“Eww! Demon Overlord! Save us!”

“You fell down like the Demon Lord! You are all worthy of hanging!”

On this day, thanks to the Phantom and the Vanderbühne Troupe, villains who were thought to have been extinct for at least a century were caught.

Traitors who joined hands with the northern demons and grew in power by secretly working underground in the empire.

The traitors who coveted the power of the devil and volunteered to act as humints for the demon race were immediately discovered.

Neither through elaborate and ingenious military operations, nor through cool-headed and watertight espionage.

… … Only thanks to the thorough reporting spirit of the residents who were alerted by the aftermath of the .